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Good morning from Athens.
First of all, let me apologize for not being able to be with you in person today. However, it is a pleasure to participate, albeit virtually through technology, in one of the most important conferences of our country's technology ecosystem, the 3rd CITEA Digital Cyprus Conference.
As for my absence, I am here to participate today in a Ministerial discussion on, what else, the topic of Artificial Intelligence. The most important thing, however, is that yesterday we signed with the Minister of Digital Governance of Greece, Mr. Dimitris Papastergiou, a binding, if you like, memorandum of cooperation that provides for the exchange of know-how and expertise in the field of digital transformation, with the ultimate goal of jointly developing solutions in the field of digital services. The first step is the implementation of the Digital Citizen application (the Gov.cy Digital Citizen app) and the further development, subsequently, of the two applications Gov.gr wallet and Gov.cy Digital Citizen, for the benefit of the citizens of both countries.
I am among professionals in the field and I am sure that we all understand the importance and the potential that arise from the use of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and big data. Potentials that translate into upgraded productivity, improved experience and solutions that were not possible before the evolution of AI. I am referring to solutions in many areas of socio-economic reality - I will not list them, but solutions at the state level as well. Jensen Huang, President and CEO of Nvidia, said from 2018 that: "It's very clear that AI is going to impact every industry. I think that every nation needs to make sure that AI is a part of their national strategy. Every country will be impacted" and he proved to be essentially correct.
So what do we do as a state, what should we do and what do we plan to do. We are currently revising our National AI Strategy with the aim of moving to a more applied approach, so that we can integrate practical applications of AI in projects we implement, services we develop and key functions of the state in general. Two points to mention: First, the Digital AI Assistant, the first version of which we aim to have on the new gov.cy portal within the year, and second, the SmartCyprus project/platform that will enter its implementation phase very soon.
So how do we as a state implement this applied strategy? We must first identify the preconditions: The first condition is the availability of data: digital data of good quality and accuracy, which is the raw material for the development of artificial intelligence applications. We must therefore identify those institutions/services and systems (even if siloed) that have data available. And they do exist. Then to "clean them up" and make sure that they are in technological infrastructures that can be used by AI.
The final goal, for data of course, is to standardize, classify and unify existing databases, but also to interconnect registries and information systems, so that we can go to the implementation of the Ask-Once-Store-Once principle. This is, of course, a complex and difficult process, which must be carried out in parallel. As part of the data identification process, I note that we must also address more seriously the issue of open data, the use of which can lead to an ecosystem of open innovation, which can form a new framework for cooperation with the private sector from which we can all benefit. It is not enough to identify the directions of the sectors of national interest: shipping, health, etc. The goal is to focus on easy-to-use solutions, compatible with our technological capabilities, and with a positive and measurable impact on the citizen, the efficiency of the state, the competitiveness of the economy and the security of the country.
And third condition: to have the mechanisms to effectively execute the implementation of the applications. A decisive role is played by the modernization of the tendering procedures for IT projects, which has already begun, in cooperation with the General Accounting Office of the State. We should also consider ways of cooperating with the companies involved in the sector. We need to build proof of concepts, confirm them and be more specific in terms of the tenders that we issue.
But we also need to have the people who will believe and know enough about AI. After all, someone will have to train the AI models, and test them, and that someone must also know the subject matter. As part of this, we should all realise that the greatest benefits come when investments in technology are combined with human resource development. Therefore, I consider it particularly important to cultivate a climate of trust in technology, as well as a horizontal culture of digital innovation in the public sector.
As a Deputy Ministry, we are undertaking a mapping exercise regarding the use of AI by actors in the Cypriot research and business ecosystem. And it is particularly encouraging that already centres of excellence, start-ups and existing businesses in the country are actively using this technology. Some examples include the development of cybersecurity and defence solutions, the creation of a digital twins infrastructure, the development of environmental and climate monitoring tools and even the construction of the first zero-emission vessel in Cyprus, a project funded by the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (R&I).
R&I already offers a number of funding programmes that can be used for AI applications and solutions. We are also considering more specific national programmes, new tools and incentives to support private investment in AI solutions, including investment in infrastructure.
All this, of course, does not guarantee a positive AI footprint. Safeguards are needed to manage the various risks and develop greater public confidence in AI. The use of the word harnessing in the title of this year's conference is apt, and in itself opens up a huge field of discussion on this topic: to explore/exploit, but also to test the potential of AI.
This is what the European Union (EU) AI Act (AI Act) seeks to do, which aims to ensure an ethical and trustworthy way of developing and using the technology by providing for stricter intervention in sectors where higher levels of risk arise. For our national harmonisation, we are already proceeding with relevant actions, such as the designation of the Competent Authority for compliance checks.
Throughout this effort, we want to activate the ecosystem and engage all actors beyond the public sector: the research community as well as the business community. I can mention that we are looking at setting up a national entity, or committee, an AI Task Force, which will act as a catalyst between policy-strategic direction, but also execution at the tactical level, for better governance of all the aspects that I have mentioned, under the political responsibility of the Ministry of State, with the additional objective of interconnection and with knowledge pools and expertise from abroad.
The challenge is great, but great is the opportunity. I wish you all a productive day.
Thank you.
(PS)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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