Greece’s strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI), the algorithmic addiction of minors, and the AI applications developed by the Ministry of Digital Governance were highlighted during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis‘ meetings at the “AI Action Summit” today in Paris.

The spotlight was on Greece’s AI factory, “PHAROS,” one of the first seven “schemes” approved by the European Commission. It will be developed with the “DAEDALUS” supercomputer at its core, one of the largest supercomputers in the world. “PHAROS” places Greece at the cutting edge of technological advancements, as well as among the pioneers in the responsible use of AI.

In the discussion on innovative technological tools, special mention was made of “Kids Wallet,” an app modeled after “Gov.gr Wallet” for children, which will be launched this spring. It will provide pre-installed parental control features while also serving as a tool for age verification at the national level. It is worth noting that there was immense interest in this application from numerous countries during the “AI Action Summit.”

Mitsotakis’ meetings with tech giants
As noted in a post, the Prime Minister, as part of the AI Action Summit, met with Demis Hassabis, Nobel laureate, co-founder, and CEO of DeepMind, a company owned by Google that implements AI applications. They discussed “developments in the field of AI globally, and possibilities for cooperation between DeepMind and the AI ecosystem in Greece, both at the startup level and in research and science.”

The Prime Minister also emphasized that, with Chris Lehane, the head of International Relations at OpenAI, they discussed “the evolution of AI and its applications in state services to citizens, as well as the prospects for the development of AI applications and large language models in Europe.”

“Finally, in the meeting with Börje Ekholm, CEO and President of Ericsson, we discussed the progress and evolution of digital communication and telecommunications applications, as well as the growing importance of connectivity,” Mitsotakis concluded in his post.

Milestones for the digital transformation of the state with 3 AI applications
The AI applications already implemented and applied by the Ministry of Digital Governance, ushering in a new era for public service, state efficiency, and reducing bureaucracy, were a key point of reference.

More specifically, it was highlighted that the Greek Land Registry was recognized by Microsoft as an international example of digital transformation and innovation. Through the adoption of advanced AI technologies, it achieved:

• Accelerating processes: Property contract evaluations were reduced from three hours to less than ten minutes.
• Significant cost savings: The cost of evaluating each contract was reduced from 15 euros to just 0.14 euros, cutting expenses by 99% for each transaction processed with AI.
• Digitalizing transactions: 90% of transactions are now conducted digitally via the unified, continuously updated system of the Greek Land Registry.
• Improved transparency and monitoring: Central oversight of cases allows for quicker and more effective resource allocation, while providing valuable real-time data to other public authorities for better national budget planning.

It is emphasized that since September 2024, productivity has more than doubled, surpassing 13,500 transactions per week in February, while prior to the implementation of the AI system, the average number of legal checks per week was 5,562. At the same time, processing time has decreased by up to 90% — from 1-2 hours to just 10 minutes — and costs have been reduced by 99%, from 15 euros to just 0.11 euros. This drastic acceleration in checks and reduction in operational costs leads to an efficient clearing of the accumulated backlogs from previous years.

Over 1.6 million dialogues on “mAigov” equate to fewer queues, emails, and phone calls at public services
The digital assistant, “mAigov,” the first large-scale AI application for the Greek public sector, is a milestone for the digital transformation of the state. It simplifies and accelerates citizen interaction with the public sector, according to the Ministry of Digital Governance. The over 1.6 million dialogues with citizens equate to fewer phone calls, emails, document submissions, and waiting in queues at public services. Simultaneously, the digital assistant contributes to greater familiarity with the gov.gr platform among citizens.

With the aim of providing a personalized experience for visitors and travelers to Greece, the Ministry of Digital Governance, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, designed and implemented the digital assistant, “mAiGreece.” Since last summer, all those visiting Greece, as well as Greek citizens, have easy and quick access to a personal travel “guide” on their mobile phones.

It is noted that the contractor for the “mAigov” and “mAiGreece” digital assistants is OTE, with subcontractors Accenture and UBITECH, which carried out the implementation. The technological provider is Microsoft with its Azure Open AI technology. As for the Land Registry application, the project was implemented in collaboration with OTE and UBITECH using the same technology.

It is worth mentioning that especially during the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis (DeepMind), special attention was given to the present and future of the AI ecosystem with an emphasis on tools for addressing the climate crisis. Additionally, the ethical dimension and responsible use of AI were discussed, highlighting that states must leverage the technology in a human-centered manner.

Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, stated: “Artificial Intelligence will undoubtedly affect all aspects of our lives to such an extent that, in some sectors, we will speak of the ‘pre’ and ‘post’ AI era. The government’s goal is to leverage emerging cutting-edge technologies to create an even more modern and efficient state, one that earns the trust of its citizens by continuously improving their daily lives. As the Ministry of Digital Governance, our goal is not only to enhance the digital leap of our country with technological tools but also to establish ourselves as a producer of innovation. A prime example of this pioneering effort is the ‘Kids Wallet,’ an application that uses technology to protect our children from its dangers. Greece is a country that can lead in protecting minors from algorithmic addiction. And this is proof that we have both talent and, gradually, the necessary infrastructure, such as the Ai Factory, ‘PHAROS,’ which will lead in supporting an innovative and competitive tech ecosystem.”

Deputy Minister of Digital Governance, responsible for the Land Registry, Konstantinos Kyranakis, said: “Artificial intelligence is the best way to reduce time and costs in public administration processes. We are proud that Greece has proven in practice, months ahead of other European governments, that it is using AI to solve real problems. The Land Registry is the first public agency to achieve this, and others will follow. I would like to congratulate the developers at the Ministry of Digital Governance, the heads of land registry offices, and our partners at Microsoft Greece for this significant technological achievement. We still have a lot of work ahead to solve as many problems as possible. We continue with the same dedication so that, at the end of this journey, no citizen will face difficulties in their transactions with the Land Registry.”