Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for the deployment of "smart AI tools" to safeguard democratic institutions from disinformation, warning that unchecked fake news could erode public trust.
Speaking at the 4th GenAI SE Europe Summit in Athens, Mr. Mitsotakis joined Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI, for a discussion moderated by Wired editor Nikos Efstathiou.
"If citizens stop believing anything, that will be disastrous for democratic processes," Mr. Mitsotakis said.
He said that while regulation is vital, governments must also utilize AI technologies to detect and counter malicious narratives.
The prime minister highlighted the potential for AI to modernize Greece's public sector, noting that the technology should be tailored to local realities rather than applied uniformly across different societies.
The discussion at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center comes as Greece aggressively positions itself as a regional technology hub.
The government is actively seeking public-private partnerships to integrate AI into state services while attracting global tech firms to the country.
Mr. Mitsotakis concluded that balancing innovation with democratic safeguards remains the defining challenge of the era.