Greece took a large leap in artificial intelligence (AI), becoming a pioneer in the manner of how the state communicates with its citizens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday, during a discussion at the "Future Unfold: What unfolds when AI meets purpose" conference in Athens.
Mitsotakis was in conversation with Grant Thornton's President, Nikolaos Karamouzis, and its CEO, Vassilis Kazas at the event at the Athens Concert Hall.
Responding to a question on AI, Mitsotakis said, "What Greece did was take a large leap forward. From stragglers we became pioneers in the sector of the way in which the state communicates with citizens. Can we do the same in AI? What we are doing, let's say, as a pilot, for the legal check of the cadaster's contracts, is very impressive. It is very good proof that AI truly does not come to replace jobs, but to help in the productivity of civil servants themselves. It is one thing to take 10 minutes to review a contract with the help of AI, and quite another to take 2 hours."
Speaking on a question of how to attract more investments, the premier said Greece had covered significant ground since the crisis. "The crisis was to a large degree an exaggerated emphasis on consumption, which was funded through loans. But now we are being called upon to take an investment leap, which is to a certain degree already under way, but it is clear we must do more," he noted.
As the PM added, "The decision of any business to invest in developing its activities is based, first of all and above all, on the faith it has that it can enter new markets and that this investment in the environment it operates - in this case, Greece - can bear fruit, at the end. This presupposes a stable framework, a political stability that I talk about a lot but which we take for granted. But take a look at other countries, and you will see how important what we have achieved is: a stable tax system, a rational taxation for businesses, and to a great degree these have been achieved, I believe."
He noted that "businesses used to tell us - and rightly so - that 'we are not interested in reducing the income and dividends traxation so much, because we are already at an economic level, but look at the taxation of the non-wage cost.' We listened to the businesses, and that is why the reduction of the non-wage cost has now reached the European average and we also have some space to move in this direction."
Greece-US relations
The relations between Greece and the United States are of a strategic nature, and "relations guaranteed within a framework of agreements we have signed with the United States," Mitsotakis said, referring specifically to the defense collaboration agreement.
"These are not relations that are simply based on a value-related framework of collaboration between two historic democracies that were always on the right side of history, they are also relations that are based on mutual interests, in which the US see the usefulness of supporting Greek-American relations," the Greek premier noted.
In addition, Greece is not simply a factor of stability in the region, but also a country that is able to utilize its influence to affect developments in the region, Mitsotakis said. "Therefore, I believe that Greek-American relations continue on the excellent path they have entered in recent years. I should also like to remind that relations do not just go through the executive power, but through legislative power as well, and the relations we have with both sides in Congress are very close," he added.
EU-US relations however are more complicated, he said, reiterating that the European Union must wake up from its lethargy and "realize that the increase of defense spending and the best European collaboration protects Europe in terms of its strategic autonomy while boosting NATO at the same time, and surely building closer bridges of collaboration with the new American administration."