ATHENS, Greece — The nation that gave birth to democracy is taking steps to ensure artificial intelligence remains under human control through groundbreaking constitutional amendments.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the sweeping constitutional updates on Thursday, describing them as essential protections for coming generations amid worldwide worries about AI’s potential threats to democratic institutions and human welfare.
“It’s very important that, in this process of constitutional revision, we take care of the world that will host our children,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers from his governing center-right party.
Under the proposed constitutional language, artificial intelligence would be mandated to “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.”
The comprehensive revisions extend beyond AI concerns, encompassing expanded mail-in voting options, extending compulsory education from nine to eleven years, and prohibiting retroactive tax policies.
“These challenges already dominate today: from the climate crisis and protection of water resources to renewable energy sources, but above all the use of artificial intelligence,” the prime minister said. “This great revolution must also be constitutionally placed at the service of individual freedom and social well-being.”
The complex amendment procedure requires multiple votes across two consecutive parliamentary sessions and generally needs bipartisan backing to succeed.
Since recovering from a devastating economic collapse eight years ago, Greece has embraced technological innovation and AI implementation, modernizing border monitoring systems and overhauling its tax collection infrastructure.
The country now operates an extensive digital government platform that handles everything from divorce proceedings to purchasing tickets for professional soccer games.
Just last month, officials announced plans to completely prohibit social media access for anyone under 16 years old, describing the policy as an effort to push the European Union toward adopting comparable restrictions.
Legal scholars within Greece contend that constitutional mandates for AI are necessary because major private tech companies now possess sufficient data and influence to function without meaningful government supervision.
Evripidis Stylianidis, the administration’s primary legislator handling the constitutional updates, described the amendments as long-term safeguards for AI deployment.
“Many issues today are defined at the international level,” he told state radio Thursday. “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.”
