Prime Minister appoints legal and AI advisers

Leda Žilinskienė has joined Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius’s team as his legal adviser, while Linas Eriksonas will oversee artificial intelligence issues, LRT reported Monday, citing the prime minister’s press representative Gedas Salyga.

Žilinskienė is a lawyer with extensive experience in legal work, public administration, academia and local government.

“I value Leda Žilinskienė’s professional expertise and experience. Drafting legislation requires a very careful and precise assessment,” Sinkevičius said in a comment relayed by Salyga.

Eriksonas is a specialist in artificial intelligence solutions and a lecturer. He holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen and has more than 10 years of experience advising technology and innovation businesses.

“Artificial intelligence has already become an inseparable part of life, so these solutions must be integrated into responsible and effective public administration. I am pleased that Linas Eriksonas’s experience will help turn these visions into reality,” the prime minister said.

Sinkevičius’s team now has 10 advisers: Žilinskienė and Eriksonas, international affairs adviser Violeta Podagelytė, parliamentary affairs adviser Sandra Sejavičienė, family policy adviser Giedrė Purvaneckienė, press representative Salyga, culture adviser Darius Kuolys, former health minister Marija Jakubauskienė, who is responsible for health issues, IT and digitalisation adviser Dalia Markinienė, and Jovita Stanevičiūtė, who is responsible for communications and youth affairs.

Brigita Šlepetienė, who previously worked with Sinkevičius at Jonava District Municipality, was appointed head of the prime minister’s office. Tomas Daukantas was delegated to serve as government chancellor.

ELTA reported that Sinkevičius and the other members of the new Cabinet were sworn in at the Seimas after the 21st Government’s programme was approved in mid-July. The government was formed by parliamentary groups from the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, the Union of Democrats “For Lithuania”, and the Union of Peasants, Greens and Christian Families.