gov.gr’s AI Assistant Will Soon Collect Your Documents for You, Says EKT Chief

by · Greek City Times

Greece’s gov.gr digital assistant is set to move from simply answering questions to actually doing the paperwork for citizens, according to Dr Kyriakos Tolias, Director of the National Documentation Centre (EKT).

In an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), Tolias outlined how artificial intelligence is changing Greece’s public administration, economy and research, and where the country still has work to do.

A gov.gr assistant that does the legwork

At the moment, the gov.gr digital assistant tells citizens which supporting documents they need for an administrative procedure and where to get them.

Read more: Greece Turns to Cameras to Keep Driving Tests Honest

Using agentic AI and the “once-only” principle, under which citizens hand over their information only once, the assistant will be able to collect the certificates and documents itself, with the citizen’s consent. Tolias said this would mark the shift from simply providing information to actively helping people complete procedures, cutting the time and hassle of dealing with multiple public bodies.

ESG tool for 14,000 businesses

EKT is also building a Digital Sustainability Hub based on its National ESG Data Map, which draws on environmental, social and governance data from 14,000 Greek businesses of all sizes and sectors.

By filling in a short questionnaire, companies will be able to compare their performance with others in the same sector, size category or region. Tolias said this could help with bank loans, since banks already use ESG criteria. A business that falls below the national average might still rank among the best in its sector or region, and being able to prove that could strengthen a financing application.

An open tender for the platform is expected soon. The full project will take about two years, but significant results are expected within six to eight months. Data sources include the Hellenic Development Bank, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission and the Athens Exchange.

Brain drain turning to brain gain

A joint study by EKT and the OECD, carried out over almost two years, found fewer Greeks are leaving the country and more are coming home.

In 2023, Greece recorded positive net migration among its own citizens for the first time since the financial crisis, and the trend strengthened in 2024. That year, around 52,000 Greeks returned while 32,000 moved abroad, a net gain of about 20,000 people.

Tolias said working and studying abroad brings valuable experience, and the goal is to give those who want to return the career opportunities, infrastructure and conditions to build a professional life and raise a family in Greece.

AI for Greece’s cultural heritage

Through Greece’s PHAROS AI Factory, EKT is working with the Athena Research Centre, the Institute for Language and Speech Processing and the National Technical University of Athens on a Greek-language digital assistant that will let users search more than a million cultural heritage items.

Its timing is linked to the launch of the DAEDALUS supercomputer, with the first substantial results expected around the end of the first quarter or start of the second quarter of 2027.

Challenges remain

Tolias said Greece has made major progress in digital maturity since 2019, helped by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, with the biggest gains in digital governance, basic digital skills and infrastructure.

The main weaknesses are the slow adoption of advanced technology by small and medium-sized businesses, a shortage of specialised ICT staff, and turning research into products and services that reach the market.

“Greece has outstanding researchers and produces high-quality scientific work,” he said, adding that there is still considerable room to improve how that knowledge is brought to market.

Source: ANA-MPA

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