Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice keeps up with new business trends. The January Business Trends event in Sosnowiec only confirmed that fact. The event was dedicated to practical use of AI tools for companies and public institutions.
Economic Opening of the year in a sport scenery of the Zagłębiowski Park Sportowy (Zagłębie Sports Park)
The first meeting of the year, organized by RIG in Katowice on 20th January 2026, has had a special scenery of the Zagłębie Sports Park in Sosnowiec. The sports field and seats for fans of the Sosnowiec arena were filled by entrepreneurs, government officials and business institutions. The guesrts were welcomed by the host and organizer Arkadiusz Chęciński, Mayor of Sosnowiec City.
– I am pleased to be organizing yet another event together, this time about AI aspect. Today not only do we have to talk about positive efects of AI, but also the negative effects that we should learn to protect ourselves. We also wamnt to show the opportunities and places that the Zagłębie Dąbroskie offers for business. Sosnowiec has changed into a town of modern technologies, transport and logistics center. The experiance we gained during our transformation results in investment proceses. We invite you to cooperate with us.
The Zagłębie Sports Park along with the football field, Arena Sosnowiec and winter stadium, build in 2009-2013, is one of the biggest type of investments in the Silesia Region.
The place has immense potential, as states Karina Skowronek, President of the Zagłębie Sports Park.
-We are quite young but have a lot of events in our portfolio, we have a football, hockey and basketball championship contests comming up. Today we are hosting business champions. It is worth mentioning that business and sport have a lot in common. In both cases teamwork, strategy and pursuing goals is important. Our sport facilities can be rented for business events.
Tomasz Kamiński, Vice President of the Katowice Special Economic Zone, who is responsible for Sosnowiec-Zagłębie sup-sphere, highlighted that the whole city can be an economic zone. An empty lot can be used for investment and tax remission of CIT and PI, because 20226 is the last year of using zones according to the old act.
We are building bridges of cooperation and investments attracting locals
Tomasz Zjawiony. President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice presented the calendar of events planned for the year of 2026, he pointed out that the creation of such events is crutial for expectations and needs of entrepreneurs.
– We are re-buiilding the scale of events and their sector range. That is where Business Trends project comes in, which we are starting today. We want to increase the quality and content level of our meetings.
During the event a problem of de-population of the GZM Metropolis was also discussed. From the moment of creating the GZM Metropolis, over 200 thousand people left the region. Methods for attracting new residents are good investment decisions of governments. One of them is the Katowice Gaming-Technology Hub. The project for over 1 billion PLN is planned to be completed in 2028 and to is said to become one of the leading exaples for cubic transformation, popularizing science and development of competences of XXI century.
– This is not suppost ot be another technology park. It will be an interdisciplinary approach do STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Our mission is the support of Katowice and the region as a center of games, technology amd digital innovation as well as AI. We want to focus on the development of knowledge and the creation of technological community. We have an immense technological knowledge, hidden competences in higher universities of our region – said Marcin Nowak, Vice President of the Katowice Gaming-Technology Hub.
3 x AI –a change, that is not a choice
Another 3 speakers focused on the main topic of the meeting – practise and perspectives of using artificial inteligence.
Robert Pławiak, Chief Digital, Technology and Information Oficer, Expert for AI i new technologies, inspirational speaker and leader of digital transfirmation set a stetamant that in 1920 companies that ignored electrcity , dissapeared from the market. In 2027 it can happen to those who ignore AI.
– AI is the new electricity. It is a business ultimatum. 88% of companies use it already, 90% of family companies increased its input on it, but only 6% is leading the revolution. We cannot overlook the new infrustructure of business. The Gartner company gives CTO 6 months for a decision on AI agents. This year 40% of apps will have it built in. Such an agent can analyze sales data in 10 seconds and a human team does in in a week! This transformation is unavoidable, the decisions must be based on data and only the speed of implementation builds advantage – summarized the AI Expert.
Dr Joanna Mercik, expert in the education, communitation and AI fieldin academics presented the rank of implementation for polish language models – PLLuM i Bielik, necessary for data interpretatin and their safet, automation, correction andsimplification of language.
– 92% of data is saved in english language. We need local language models, its is about expertize, sovereignty, compact but also energy efficiency.
Grzegorz Frugalski, Secretary of Sosnowiec City introduced the topic of the role of AI in governments. He presented the statistics of research conducted in teritorial government. The view on AI is positive and over half of cities and municipalities have a plan of its implementation, accoring to the document from the Ministry of Digital Affairs – „Politics of AI development in Poland to 2030″. The guidelines from the ministry establish a creation of an AI plant, cloud computing of state and new infrastructure – supercomputer.
Economic mission to India and cooperation with the spanish market
The Business Trends 2026 could not happen without international accent.
Mohan Lal, Counsellor Commerce and Head of Chancery Embassy of India in Warsaw presented the program of AI Impact Summit 2026, which will take place on 17-20 February in New Delhi. This will be the first gobal summit dedicated to artificial inteligence, organized in the Global South. The event will bring together politics, business leaders and academia experts from all over the world. RIG w Katowice invites to the organized the economic mission.
In fall of 2025 RIG in Katowice has signed a cooperation agreement with the polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Zuzanna Gołębiewska, Director of the Chamber spoke about trends in Spain and opportunities for entering the market during the meeting in Sosnowiec.
– Spain is the 4th economu of the European Union, 14thin the world and 7th in infrastructure development. Thwere are many sectors who can be attractive for the polisg brands. Amongst them are: ITsoftware, digital services, RES and energy, construction and real estate, medtech and silver economy, logostics or transport – encouraged Zuzanna Gołębiewska, Director of the Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The ceremonial part of the program was handing the Gold Medal for „services for the Silesia Region” was handed to Aleksandra Kuzior, Prof. Silesia University of Technology – Dean of the Organization and Managment Department of the Silesia University of Technology.
The finale of the event os Sosnowiec could not miss the welcoming of new Member Companies of the Chamber alonf with networking with refreshments.
We welcome the new Member Companies of RIG in Katowice:
ELEVE PARTNERS Sp. z o.o.
Wodzilla Dystrybutory Wody Sp. z o.o.
PAKPOL SYSTEM Sp. z o.o. Sp. K.
Z charakterem Robert Kalisiewicz
