Greek government strikes deal with Open AI to use tools for education and start-ups
The government of Greece agreed a deal with US artificial intelligence firm OpenAI to make AI tools widely available for use in secondary education and small businesses.
The deal means Greek startups in areas such as healthcare, climate change and education will enjoy access to OpenAI’s technology and support for their projects. It also means Greece is expected to become the world’s first country to integrate a specialised version of the large language model ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Edu.
Announced by OpenAI in May 2024, ChatGPT Edu is said to be able to “reason across text and vision and use advanced tools such as data analysis”, and includes advanced capabilities in interpretation, coding and mathematics, web browsing, and document summarisation.
Posting on LinkedIn, Greece’s digital policy & AI adviser to the prime minister of the Hellenic Republic, Vassilis Koutsoumpas, said that the deal would allow teachers and students across the country to “meaningfully integrate AI into classrooms, creating a digital learning environment where every child — regardless of economic or social background — can thrive”.
“Our vision is to build on this partnership and steadily continue transforming Greece into a more resilient, technologically confident hub,” Koutsoumpas said, adding:
“We need to make sure that every Greek citizen is benefiting from this tech dividend — the social and economic benefits of technology in their daily lives.”
OpenAI’s chief of global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, said at the announcement of the deal: “With millions of Greeks using ChatGPT on a regular basis, the country is once again showing its dedication to learning and ideas.”
Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also joined the announcement of the deal, along with Anthony S. Papadimitriou, president of the Onassis Foundation, a scholarship and prize programmes organisation.
Read more: Australia urged to set ‘rules of the game’ to harness the productivity potential of AI
Partnerships with government
In August earlier this year, OpenAI announced a similar partnership with the US government’s the General Services Administration (GSA), in which it made its leading frontier models available to federal employees for a year at a cost of just US$1.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman said that the partnership served to deliver on US president Donald Trump’s AI Action Plan, adding that “one of the best ways to make sure AI works for everyone is to put it in the hands of the people serving the country”.
In the same month, Altman discussed the possibility of giving the UK premium access to Open AI. His and Peter Kyle, former state for science, innovation and technology and now secretary of state for business and trade, discussed giving UK residents access to the firm’s advanced product.
However, as was reported in UK newspaper The Guardian, the idea was never seriously considered due to an estimated cost £2bn (US$2.7bn).
Register now for Public Service Data.AI 18 September 2025 – London, UK
Brought to you by Global Government Forum and hosted by HM Government, Public Service Data.AI is the UK’s flagship annual event for civil servants working to unlock the power of data and artificial intelligence across government. Free to attend for all UK public servants, this event brings together digital leaders, policymakers, data specialists and service designers to explore how the effective use of data and AI can drive smarter, fairer, and more responsive public services.
From modernising digital infrastructure and fostering public trust to ensuring ethical AI procurement and improving data-sharing across departments, Public Service Data.AI 2025 will focus on the key enablers of successful digital transformation.
Find out more and register here
Ireland announces new national office for AI
On 8 September, the Irish government launched a new national office responsible for AI, known as the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO).
The goal of the new unit is to position Ireland as a European leader in AI development. It is expected that a director general will be hired later this year and will act as the authority responsible for co-ordinating the EU AI Act.
Ireland’s enterprise minister, Peter Burke, said that the launch marked a “decisive step in Ireland’s digital future”, and that the office would ensure the country maintained its position “as a trusted hub for innovation and investment”.
“We all know the importance of investing in AI in a significant and cohesive way, and this office will officially lead on this, ensuring we continue to be a global leader in digital innovation and technology,” he said.
About Jack Aldane
Jack is a British journalist, cartoonist and podcaster. He graduated from Heythrop College London in 2009 with a BA in philosophy, before living and working in China for three years as a freelance reporter. After training in financial journalism at City University from 2013 to 2014, Jack worked at Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters before moving into editing magazines on global trade and development finance. Shortly after editing opinion writing for UnHerd, he joined the independent think tank ResPublica, where he led a media campaign to change the health and safety requirements around asbestos in UK public buildings. As host and producer of The Booking Club podcast – a conversation series featuring prominent authors and commentators at their favourite restaurants – Jack continues to engage today’s most distinguished thinkers on the biggest problems pertaining to ideology and power in the 21st century. He joined Global Government Forum as its Senior Staff Writer and Community Co-ordinator in 2021.
Related Posts
