Article of the Board of Directors of “Information Society of SA” in the 4th issue of the “AI-Report” magazine, published by META-TEAM in the “Sunday Apogevmatini” newspaper
The promotion of pioneering AI-powered digital services by the Greek State is for all of us in Information Society the next challenge. In all branches of public policy, this technology can shape new perspectives aimed at improving the lives of citizens. For this purpose, we need modern infrastructures, more data, cooperation between researchers, developers and businesses but also skills development of citizens.
In this direction, we must treat artificial intelligence as a tool created to serve citizens and businesses and in no case as an end in itself.
The development and use of AI systems must be designed based on the ethical principles of respect for human autonomy and self-determination, inclusion, harm prevention and justice.
Therefore, the reliability of artificial intelligence should be shielded, by ensuring the protection and observance of the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
The public’s interest in what Artificial Intelligence can bring to our lives is really exciting. Many imagine extreme situations and scenes taken from fantasy films. But the reality is simpler – at least for now! The goal set by the Government and the Ministry of Digital Governance is to live in an efficient digital state that evolves and contributes to a comfortable everyday life for citizens. And Artificial Intelligence will have a leading role in this planning.
Information Society SA has undertaken various initiatives to promote digital development and the integration of innovative technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), in the public and private sectors in Greece.
Some of the innovative IT digital services promoted by Information Society include:
- e-Government applications with AI to automate processes such as processing citizen requests, analysing big data from public bodies, as well as predicting and preventing problems related to public administration.
- Development of Digital Health AI tools for disease diagnosis and monitoring. Applications using machine learning that enhance accuracy in medical tests and provide personalized treatment solutions.
- Creation of “smart” services in smart cities, such as traffic management systems and smart lighting, based on real-time data analysis through AI algorithms.
- Advanced data security by leveraging AI to improve cybersecurity, with smart platforms that detect and address threats to networks and systems.
- AI platform development to automate Greek business processes through data analysis, predictive models and supply chain optimization.
These services reinforce the national digital strategy, creating a more efficient and adaptive public sector, while also promoting innovation in the private sector.
And these are just some of the cases where Artificial Intelligence can be used directly by the Greek State. In all branches of public policy, this technology can shape new perspectives aimed at improving the lives of citizens. For this purpose, we need modern infrastructure, more data, but also skills development of citizens.
mAigov, the first “Digital Assistant” of the Greek State, is a tangible example of how Artificial Intelligence can help us. It is a bot that gives personalized answers to questions posed by citizens and related to Public Administration issues. Since its inception, it has answered more than 1.5 million questions. If we turn these into queues, phone calls, delays or misinformation in the conventional way, we can very easily understand its value.
In the same sense, by making use of Artificial Intelligence technologies, we implemented mAiGreece together with the Ministry of Tourism. This is a personalized travel guide for Greece. In addition, at the Ministry of Digital Governance we used on a pilot basis Artificial Intelligence tools in myCoast application, so that beaches can be “scanned” and possible violations in their exploitation can be immediately detected.
Also, with the use of Artificial Intelligence tools, we set up projects in Health, Justice, civil protection, foreign policy and the Cadastre.
Information Society can play a key role in the promotion of innovative and new digital services in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by:
- Creating infrastructure and technological support:
- Training and developing human capital
- Supporting startups and research communities
- Promoting digital innovation and open data policies