Greece’s prime minister says governments are not ready for AI’s speed

In short: Greece’s prime minister said governments do not have clear answers for how fast AI is changing society.

What happened

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke in San Francisco during a trip meant to attract tech companies and talent to Greece. In front of about 250 startup founders and investors, he said openly that leaders are still figuring out how to deal with AI.

Mitsotakis described the visit as partly a fact-finding trip, including stops at Tesla and venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. He also promoted Greece’s improving finances, saying the country is paying down debt quickly and can borrow money at lower rates than the United States.

He pointed to recent investments in “digital infrastructure,” meaning basic online systems that make services work. Examples included an online government portal for paperwork and a new supercomputer being assembled in Lavrio that he said will be online within months to support AI and scientific research.

When the conversation turned to children and schools, Mitsotakis said policy can already feel out of date. Greece plans to ban social media for children under 15 starting in January, but he said AI chatbots may be just as addictive. He also said Greece has tested an OpenAI program to reduce teachers’ administrative work, but warned that students are already using chatbots to do homework.

On jobs, he said displacement is coming and that “no government and no society is prepared for the speed with which it will happen.”

Why it matters

This is a sign that even governments trying to attract AI business are worried about the side effects. It also suggests new rules are likely, but they may arrive after AI has already changed how kids learn and how adults work (like trying to write traffic laws while the cars are still being invented).

Source: TechCrunch AI