Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence in his meeting with Google's Vice-President for Engineering & Research, Yossi Matias, on Thursday.
The Greek premier, Matias, and Google General Manager for Southeast Europe, Peggy Antonakou, talked about developments in the field of artificial intelligence globally and in Greece, at an event held in Athens' former tobacco factory (now a cultural multispace) to mark the 15 years of the company's presence in the country.
There is tremendous potential generated by AI at a global level, noted Mitsotakis, but at the same time a sense of great responsibility emerges for the proper, ethical management of this technology, he added. Greece aims to become an international hub regarding the morals and code of ethics as they should be implemented with artificial intelligence, he observed.
Three sectors are important concerning the implementation of AI in Greece, in terms of benefiting the greater good, Mitsotakis added: predictive models against abrupt weather fluctuations brought on by climate change, assisting in the health and medical sector, and in the production of text and speech in the education sector.
Ensuring the regular functioning of democracy requires that global technology companies and states across the world cooperate to that effect, he added.
Artificial intelligence should be developed responsibly, noted Matias, who added that it can greatly contribute to improving people's lives in every conceivable aspect.
The creation of a data center in Athens, announced 14 months ago, will go ahead as planned, Antonakou confirmed. Calling the project a particularly importat investment, she added that by 2030 it will contribute a total of 2.2 billion dollars to the GDP, while supporting the creation of more than 19,400 jobs.