Mitsotakis Courts Tech in San Francisco as Greece Weighs AI Risks and a Under-15 Social Media Ban
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 23
Mitsotakis Courts Tech in San Francisco as Greece Weighs AI Risks and a Under-15 Social Media Ban
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 23
Summary
Speaking to about 250 founders and investors in San Francisco, Kyriakos Mitsotakis pitched Greece as a tech base while openly saying governments lack clear answers to AI’s social effects.
Greece’s case rests on a sharper economic turnaround: MSCI is set to restore developed-market status next year, Greek 10-year yields are around 4.3% versus roughly 5% for U.S. Treasuries, and debt is being paid down at a record pace.
€36 billion in EU recovery funds has helped finance digital infrastructure, including an online government portal and a new supercomputer in Lavrio that Mitsotakis said will come online within months for AI and research.
He also highlighted startup-friendly policies—stock-option tax changes, looser labor rules and tax breaks for returning Greeks—while conceding visa-processing speed still needs work as Athens tries to lure back talent lost in the debt crisis.
On AI, Mitsotakis backed smart regulation and warned job displacement will come faster than societies are prepared for; Greece plans a January social-media ban for children under 15 but he said even that may already lag chatbot risks.