Šafář joins prg.ai after five years at SAS, where he led Customer Advisory for Central Europe and worked with companies on data analytics and AI projects, according to his LinkedIn post. He will take over from Lenka Kučerová, one of the people behind the initiative’s creation, who returned to the role earlier this year as interim director.
The leadership change comes as prg.ai continues to strengthen its role as a bridge between Prague’s universities, research institutions, businesses and the public sector. “prg.ai connects academia, business and public administration. I believe this is exactly where it will be decided whether AI in the Czech Republic becomes something genuinely useful,” Šafář said.
His career has largely been built around connecting technology with real-world applications. Before joining SAS, Šafář held senior positions at Dell Technologies and worked for Microsoft, Novell and SUSE. He is also a co-founder and co-owner of Czech IT company Good Sailors, a digital services business that creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Šafář says his new role will involve plenty of learning and listening as he gets to know the organisation and its ecosystem. “I’m leaving SAS after five years, where I led Customer Advisory for Central Europe, and from October I’m becoming the director of prg.ai. Working on AI projects with companies at SAS was the best school I could have wished for,” he said.
He added that he is looking forward to meeting people who care about the future of AI in Prague and the Czech Republic. “There’s a lot for me to discover, so keep your fingers crossed. I’ll be happy to share the insights I pick up along the way, and in the meantime, I’d love to meet anyone who cares about the further development of AI in Prague and, ultimately, across the Czech Republic.”
For Kučerová, handing over the organisation is the end of a short return to the leadership role rather than a departure from the initiative itself. She took over as interim director in February following the departure of former director Lukáš Kačena, who subsequently became the Czech government’s Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence.
Finding a successor, she says, was not straightforward. “We were looking for someone who could connect worlds that too often operate separately: business and technology, the public sector and citizens, academia and practice. Luděk has spent his career doing exactly that,” Kučerová wrote in her Linkedin post.
She pointed to Šafář’s experience in multinational technology companies, his involvement in the Czech POINT project and his work with Good Sailors as evidence of his ability to operate across different parts of the technology ecosystem. His involvement in AI has also extended beyond his corporate career. According to Kučerová, Šafář began running pro-bono AI workshops for teachers two years ago, driven simply by a desire to help educators better understand the technology.
“He has some big shoes to fill after Lukáš Kačena, but I have a feeling he’ll soon be leaving his own footprints. Welcome aboard, Luděk,” Kučerová added. Founded as a platform connecting Prague’s universities, research organisations and companies around artificial intelligence, prg.ai has increasingly focused on moving AI research beyond academia and into practical applications.
Šafář now takes the helm at a time when AI is becoming a strategic priority for companies, governments and research institutions alike. His background across enterprise technology, data analytics, AI and social entrepreneurship could position him well to further develop the initiative’s role as a connector between these worlds.
The next phase for prg.ai will therefore be less about AI as a research topic in isolation and more about turning Prague’s research and technology capabilities into practical impact – for businesses, public institutions and society at large.
