Greece’s government is moving toward major constitutional revisions that would place limits on how artificial intelligence is used, as Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told lawmakers the changes are needed to ensure AI benefits society and democracy. Mitsotakis, who leads Greece’s governing center-right party, said the work is aimed at protecting “the world that will host our children,” amid wider global concerns about AI’s effects on democratic governance and human life.
In describing the proposal, Mitsotakis said it would include a constitutional provision stating: “Artificial intelligence shall serve the freedom of the individual and the prosperity of society, ensuring that risks are mitigated and that the advantages it provides are fully realized.” He argued that the challenges facing Greece today—from the climate crisis and water protection to renewable energy—now include the “use of artificial intelligence,” and that “this great revolution must also be constitutionally placed at the service of individual freedom and social well-being,” according to his remarks to lawmakers.
Beyond the AI-related language, the proposed amendments include other changes, with the government describing them as part of a broader overhaul. The draft would expand postal voting, increase mandatory schooling from nine to 11 years, and include a ban on retroactive taxation.
Mitsotakis said the constitutional revision would not be a single vote but a lengthy process that involves “a series of votes by two successive parliaments.” He added that the procedure typically requires at least some support across political parties, meaning lawmakers from more than one side would likely need to back the measures to advance them.
Greece has been adopting AI and modern technology in its government services, according to the AP report, including upgrading border surveillance and rebuilding parts of its tax administration. The report said a government platform now manages services ranging from obtaining a divorce to buying tickets for domestic soccer matches, as the country extends digital tools into everyday public life.
The government’s approach to technology regulation has also included broader actions, with the report saying that last month it unveiled plans for a social media ban for children younger than 16, aiming to pressure the European Union to adopt similar rules. Some constitutional experts in Greece, the report added, argue that AI needs to be legally required to serve democracy because private technology platforms hold enough data and power to operate beyond effective public oversight.
Evripidis Stylianidis, the government’s lead lawmaker on the constitutional revision, said the AI changes would act as a long-term guardrail on AI use. He told state radio that “many issues today are defined at the international level,” and that “the protection and proper use of artificial intelligence touches all human rights in daily life and is something that must concern us in the constitutional revision.”