# Greece's Prime Minister Discusses AI Challenges and Economic Reforms Kyriakos Mitsotakis shares candid views on AI's societal impact and Greece's tech ambitions. - **Source:** [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com) - **Published:** 2026-09-23 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/845571ad-bbe3-4602-b250-1f0116aed459 ## Greece's economic turnaround Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted Greece's economic recovery, noting record debt repayment and borrowing rates now lower than the U.S. Greece's 10-year bond yield stands at 4.3%, compared to 5% for U.S. Treasuries—a stark contrast to 2012's crisis when Greek yields exceeded 40%. The country is set to regain developed market status from MSCI next year, signaling improved economic stability. ## Digital infrastructure investments Greece allocated €36 billion from EU COVID recovery funds to digital transformation, including an online government portal eliminating bureaucratic queues. A new supercomputer in Lavrio, developed with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will soon support AI and scientific research. These investments aim to modernize public services and position Greece as a tech-friendly destination. ## Tech-friendly policy reforms To attract tech companies, Greece revised stock option taxation, relaxed labor laws, and introduced a seven-year tax reduction for returning expatriates. Mitsotakis acknowledged ongoing challenges with visa processing speeds but emphasized the country's growing startup ecosystem, including reformed universities now fostering entrepreneurship rather than anti-corporate ideologies. ## AI's societal dilemmas Mitsotakis admitted lacking definitive answers on AI's societal impact. Greece will ban social media for under-15s starting January 2027, but he questioned its relevance given AI chatbots' addictive potential. An OpenAI education pilot aims to reduce teachers' administrative workload, though he cautioned against AI undermining fundamental learning skills as students increasingly use chatbots for homework. ## Data center strategy Despite global opposition to data centers over energy/water use, Greece faces little local resistance. Microsoft is building a data center cluster near Athens, while AWS partnered with Greece's largest utility to repurpose a coal region for its biggest national facility. Mitsotakis positioned this as an economic opportunity, contrasting with broader environmental concerns. ## Talent repatriation efforts Mitsotakis aims to reverse brain drain from Greece's debt crisis by capitalizing on tightened U.S. work visas. He pitched Greece's cost advantages—including lower wages than Silicon Valley—to tech founders during his Bay Area visit, which included tours at Tesla and Sequoia Capital before attending the UN General Assembly. ## Call for AI regulation Aligning with AI lab leaders, Mitsotakis advocated slowing AI development until its self-improvement mechanisms are better understood. He predicted inevitable job displacement at unprecedented speed, admitting no government is prepared. Greece offered to host global discussions merging technologists with social scientists and philosophers to address AI's existential questions. ## Historical perspective Mitsotakis framed Athens—birthplace of Socratic dialogue—as an ideal venue for AI ethics debates. This historical parallel underscores how ancient philosophical questions about human purpose now intersect with AI's rapid advancement, which he noted may soon surpass evolved human cognitive capacities, redefining what it means to be human. ## Sources covering this story - https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/22/were-already-fighting-yesterdays-battle-greeces-prime-minister-gets-candid-about-ai/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._