The Hellenic Entrepreneurs Association (E.EN.E.) organised a dedicated event on Artificial Intelligence titled: “Investments in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Greece: From Buzzwords to Strategic Growth Allies for Businesses”, held on Thursday May 8 as part of the international defence exhibition, DEFEA 2025.

The event was opened by the Director General of E.EN.E., Mr Pavlos Efthymiou, who invited the speakers to reflect on the challenges, opportunities, and future vision for the sector and entrepreneurship. He laid the foundation for the discussions by presenting specific data, statistics, and projections. A welcome address followed from Mr Evrypidis Tsakiridis, Director of the Office of the Deputy Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Opening Speech: Evrypidis Tsakiridis, Director, Office of the Deputy Minister of National Defence

The keynote session featured a Fireside Chat between journalist Ms Andriana Paraskevopoulou (ERT) and Professor Georgios Lentzas, Professor of ML/AI at Columbia Business School. Professor Lentzas emphasised that the core business question regarding AI is: “Which value-creating tasks can be executed faster and more effectively?” He explained that answering this depends on three pillars: vision, decision-making, and communication, placing particular emphasis on repetitive decisions, which, he said, should be the first to be automated.

Discussing the defence sector, he highlighted the difficulty in attributing responsibility in the decision-making process and predicted that within the next decade, operations centres will function with fewer personnel but far greater efficiency. He drew attention to the technological gap between the European Union, the United States, and China, using the example of Blackberry versus Apple as a cautionary tale for ecosystems that fail to keep pace with innovation.

He also raised concerns about Greece’s low ranking in the European AI index. Finally, he introduced the “Move 37” strategy—an apparently irrational move that confuses opponents—emphasising that the strategic advantage will go to those who first and most effectively integrate AI.

Applications of ML and AI in Business: Dr. Georgios A. Lentzas, Columbia Business School | Interviewed by Andriana Paraskevopoulou, Journalist, ERT

The second panel, moderated by Mr Pavlos Efthymiou, brought together representatives from Greece’s high-tech industry. Professor Kollias, President of the GRNET Board and Coordinator of the AI Factory Pharos project, underscored the need to bridge the technological gap between the EU, the US, and China.

He highlighted the importance of scaling, citing examples of EU-born products that had to relocate to the US for further development—where failure to do so often led to stagnation. He also discussed the ambitious “DAEDALUS” supercomputer project and its collaboration with the Ministry of Health to develop a Greek Large Language Model (LLM), for instance for patient health records. He noted that “DAEDALUS” is already being used in civil protection applications such as forecasting natural disasters.

Mr Angelos Tserekllas, CEO of Sotiria Technology, discussed underwater technologies, observing that current efforts focus on hardware due to the scarcity of underwater data. Nevertheless, he pointed out that Greece possesses considerable expertise in this field and argued that the underwater environment could provide the country with a substantial competitive edge. He concluded by highlighting the importance of reversing brain drain into brain regain.

Kollias, Professor Emeritus, Chair of the Board at GRNET – National Infrastructures for Research and Technology, and Coordinator of the AI Factory Pharos project;

Angelos Tserekllas, CEO, Sotiria Technology; Vasilis Tsagaris, Co-founder & CEO, Irida Labs; Dimitris Kottas, CEO, Delian Alliance Industries Moderator: Pavlos Efthymiou, Director General, E.EN.E.

Mr Vasilis Tsagaris, Co-founder and CEO of Irida Labs, emphasised that we are still at the early stages of the journey toward fully developed AI solutions. He stressed the importance of maintaining a robust technological focus, rather than a solely commercial approach, and noted that AI presents significant opportunities to generate meaningful impact.

Mr Dimitris Kottas, CEO of Delian Alliance Industries, asserted that AI’s transformative impact would be comparable to the shift from computers to mobile phones. He stated that reindustrialisation is the only viable path for the country and argued that a portion of production must return from Asia to Europe.

He predicted that the majority of revenue in the AI sector would come from security and protection applications. Furthermore, he observed that the defence sector is among the earliest adopters of AI technologies and could serve as a catalyst for wider adoption. He concluded by emphasising the need to believe in and invest in Greece’s international competitiveness, stating that the necessary resources already exist.

Cybersecurity and Cyberdefense – Panelists: Giorgos Patsios, CEO, Obrela, Giorgos Menexis, CEO, Scytalys, Konstantinos Vouzoplis, Security Lead, Accenture, Moderator: Amalia Katziou, Journalist, CNN.gr

The third panel, moderated by Ms Amalia Katziou, focused on the crucial role of cybersecurity and cyberdefence. Mr Giorgos Patsios, CEO of Obrela, stressed that cyberdefence is now a fundamental pillar of national defence, driven by the exponential rise in digital interconnectivity. He noted that Greece has not invested sufficiently in the integration of the defence ecosystem—or in its development.

He highlighted a significant talent gap in the cybersecurity sector, with an estimated shortage of around 7,000 professionals. According to Mr Patsios, national defence must rest on three pillars: equipment, technology, and intelligence. He also called for a restructuring of the current framework, observing that the private sector’s role in defence remains limited.

Mr Patsios sharply criticised the current structure of the armed forces, noting that while Greece allocates 3% of its GDP to defence, a significant proportion of this funding is directed to foreign companies—a situation he argued must be rectified. He stressed the urgent need to strengthen domestic expertise in defence and security technologies.

Mr Menexis, CEO of Scytalys, stated that Greece’s defence must adapt to hybrid and asymmetric threats, which continue to evolve. Mr Vouzoplis, Security Lead at Accenture, described cyberdefence as the fourth pillar of a modern defence doctrine, emphasising that cybersecurity is not a passing trend but a permanent and essential priority.

He acknowledged the presence of highly skilled talent within the Greek market, citing the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Accenture and the Athens University of Economics and Business as a notable example. He concluded by advocating for the expansion of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a strategic necessity.

High-Tech Manufacturing in Greece: Applications, Solutions & the Scale-Up Challenge

Participants:  Athanasios Potsis, President, Hellenic Association of Defense and Security Material Manufacturers (EBIDITE), Ioannis Mavroudis, Vice President, Neuropublic

Jorge Sanchez, Director, ESA BIC Greece, Vangelis Gizelis, CEO & Founder, Gizelis Robotics, Alexandros Maniatopoulos, CEO, Yodiwo Moderator: Vasilis Nedos, Journalist

In the fourth panel, moderated by journalist Mr Vasilis Nedos, Mr Athanasios Potsis, President of EBIDITE, addressed the development of space technology in Greece, calling it a challenging yet strategically sound choice. He emphasised that data management is of strategic importance and argued that Greece’s industrial base must evolve from simply producing subsystems to creating complete, integrated systems.

Mr Ioannis Mavroudis, Vice President & Managing Director of Neuropublic, highlighted the country’s scientific potential and its well-established IoT networks. He called for an increase in exports and noted that the Greek state remains the main client, citing the absence of a cohesive national strategy and the need for a stable regulatory framework.

Mr Jorge Sanchez, Director of ESA BIC Greece, underscored the importance of pursuing large-scale projects to facilitate scaling. He cited the planned satellite launches in 2026 and the establishment of “giant labs” at Greek universities as key examples. He also stressed the need to attract specialised talent from the Balkans, as well as from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), to support these initiatives.

Mr Vangelis Gizelis, CEO of Gizelis Robotics, announced a strategic partnership with an Israeli firm aimed at entering the defence sector. He pointed to the lack of a collaborative culture in Greece, which he argued must be cultivated across the industrial and technological landscape. He further emphasised the need to transition from component manufacturing to fully integrated, high value-added products.

Finally, Mr Alexandros Maniatopoulos, CEO of Yodiwo, stressed the importance of enhancing synergies through mergers and acquisitions, suggesting that consolidation could be a vital driver of scale and competitiveness for Greek tech companies.

Hellenic Engineering and Technological Support Solutions, Panelists: Christos Giordamlis, CEO, Prisma Electronics, Konstantinos Papadas, President & CEO, Integrated Systems Development S.A. (ISD), Ioannis Brouzos, Sales & Marketing Director, Mevaco

Moderator: Alexandra Fotaki, Journalist, in.gr

The fifth and final panel, moderated by journalist Alexandra Fotaki from in.gr, featured a discussion on the strategic development of engineering and technological support in the defence sector. Mr Konstantinos Papadas, President & CEO of ISD, underlined the importance of well-designed, targeted, and technically robust projects, asserting that strategic precision is key to sustainable development.

Mr Christos Giordamlis, CEO of Prisma Electronics, highlighted the lack of an institutional framework to support various aspects of the defence industry. He stressed the urgent need to achieve national autonomy—particularly in defence production—if Greece is to reduce its dependence on foreign systems and suppliers.

Mr Ioannis Brouzos, Sales and Marketing Director at Mevaco, emphasised the importance of creating specialised jobs, advocating for Greek involvement in international projects as a means of acquiring essential know-how and advanced industrial capabilities.

Also read: DEFEA 2025 | Innovation and Smart Integrated Solutions from EFA GROUP

You can watch the entire event at the link below.