On Monday afternoon, the members of the High-Level Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence presented their recommendations to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for Greece’s transition into the era of artificial intelligence, with a strategy that will provide the country with substantial comparative advantages and position it as a leader in selected fields of application of the new technology.

During the meeting, several central goals of the artificial intelligence strategy were discussed, including improving the efficiency of the public sector, upgrading public education and healthcare to provide better services tailored to the needs of each student or patient, developing new tools for civil protection against the consequences of climate change, protecting democracy and public dialogue from misinformation, and strengthening national defense.

Special emphasis was also placed on further increasing Greece’s attractiveness as an investment destination for high technology, noting that in this specific field, a country can benefit from creating a positive dynamic, where the success of initial investors acts as a “beacon” for the arrival of additional companies.

To achieve these goals, the Committee recommended six flagship projects, starting with establishing Greece as a model country in data collection and governance, which is an essential foundation for the development of artificial intelligence. Another key proposal was the creation of an AI center of excellence, which would serve as a world-class research and educational institution.

This approach would, on one hand, establish a pioneering regulatory and operational framework, and on the other hand, create a hub for interdisciplinary innovative research, promoting the development of AI while simultaneously boosting the entrepreneurial and academic environment in Greece.

The flagship projects also include the development of a central AI educational platform that will support teaching, learning, and online collaboration; encouraging the creation of AI ecosystems around data, computational resources, and opportunities for investment and education, such as Greece’s participation in the European competition for the creation of an AI Factory; creating a data space for the Greek language, which will promote the use of Greek texts and cultural works by the large language models currently used in AI, thus contributing to the more accurate integration of these resources in AI training as well as the preservation of the Greek language; and establishing a global forum for AI ethics and a global observatory for AI in the democratic process.

During the discussion, it was emphasized that artificial intelligence must serve the citizens and their well-being, and it was also underlined that proper communication of the transformation AI will bring is essential for society to embrace the new technology.

In this context, alongside the opportunities and challenges presented, a risk mapping was also conducted, with the Prime Minister noting the need for smart regulation to protect children and adolescents from exposure to social media applications.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted that organizing the work ahead is of particular importance, especially the development of a concrete plan for implementing the strategy, prioritizing the Committee’s recommendations, and aligning them with related actions already underway, such as educational programs.