MERIT

Building on our exploration of how digitalisation is transforming business landscape, this article continues the series of articles with Laima Balčiūnė – a key figure in Lithuania’s digital innovation ecosystem – returning to share her insights on the digital tools and technologies that empower startups to scale faster and compete on a global stage.

Imagine this… You walk into your favorite coffee shop. Before you say a word, the barista smiles and says, “The usual flat white?”. That tiny moment makes your day. You feel seen, valued. That’s why you keep coming back—even when prices go up. They know you.

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, innovation is no longer a luxury – it is a necessity. Digitalisation is reshaping how businesses operate, especially within the vibrant startup ecosystem. In this special article series, we explore the key forces driving this transformation, the challenges faced, and the opportunities ahead for startups seeking to compete globally.

During Girls in ICT Day at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) in Manresa, UPC Manresa, and with the support of the MERIT project, we had the opportunity to hear from Noèlia Català, an expert in artificial intelligence at IThinkUPC. She explained what lies behind tools like ChatGPT and how they are now capable of performing tasks traditionally done by humans—such as writing, summarising, providing information on almost any topic, or chatting like a real person.