Greece is aiming to harness artificial intelligence to modernize governance and strengthen democratic institutions, Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou told a technology conference in Athens on Friday.
Speaking at EmTech Europe 2026, organized by MIT Technology Review in partnership with Kathimerini, Papastergiou outlined Greece’s strategy in the AI era.
He cited data showing Greece ranks first in Europe in the use of general AI applications among people aged 16-24 and eighth overall, describing a society open to new technologies. The challenge, he said, is turning that momentum into tangible results.
Papastergiou stressed the need to use AI to support democracy, warning that “democracy is under pressure and it is critical to help it.” He pointed to a program to simplify legislation and make it more accessible to citizens.
On infrastructure, the minister said Greece has presented a national data center strategy and plans to release thousands of public datasets by the end of the month, supported by the European Union’s Recovery Fund. He highlighted the country’s location at the crossroads of three continents and its extensive subsea cable network as key advantages for developing data hubs.
He cautioned, however, that expansion must not strain the national energy grid, noting that data centers currently account for about 0.1% of energy use. He also pointed to the construction of the Daedalus supercomputer in Lavrio, east of Athens, and Greece’s participation in European initiatives such as AI Gigafactories aimed at boosting technological autonomy.
On education, Papastergiou said the focus should be on developing critical thinking skills to navigate AI-generated information. He also highlighted digital literacy programs for older citizens, including protection against scams and deepfake fraud.
On security, he said Greece and Italy have proposed measures to protect subsea cables, while Greece is also participating with Germany as a central hub in the European Union’s secure satellite communications program, GOVSATCOM.