Deputy Minister welcomes Cabinet formation of National AI Taskforce

Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou has welcomed the Cabinet's formation of a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Taskforce.

In a statement following the Cabinet's 22 January decision, Damianou said, "The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially in recent years, brings substantial and revolutionary possibilities in various areas, impacting the economy, social structure and security of states."

He continued that governments are being called upon to adapt to this new reality, exploiting the potential of AI in areas such as the efficiency of public services, strengthening national security and promoting innovation and growth. "At the same time, the potential of AI creates the need for regulatory policies and practices that will ensure the protection of privacy and address the ethical challenges that arise," the Deputy Minister continued.

He noted that, in order for the country to prepare in the most appropriate way for the challenges and opportunities that AI offers, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a National AI Taskforce.

"The National AI Taskforce will have an advisory nature with the main objective of developing, integrating and implementing AI in Cyprus, with the aim of strengthening the economy, ensuring competitiveness and improving the quality of life of citizens," he said.

"More specifically," Damianou continued, "the AI Taskforce will submit proposals and recommendations to the President of the Republic, through the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, and its main responsibilities are the following:

The National AI Taskforce will be chaired by the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology. The remaining 10 members of the Committee are appointed by the Cabinet for a five-year term, and are individuals with specialised knowledge and experience in the field of AI, Damianou said.

More specifically, the Committee consists of the following:

1. Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations – and – President School of Management Science and Operations, London School of Economics
2. Savvas Chatzichristofis, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation and Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Neapolis.
3. Konstantinos Dovrolis , Director of the Computational Science and Technology Center (CaSToRC) Cyprus Institute –and– Professor at the School of Computer Science at Georgia Institute of Technology .
4. Sotirios Chatzi, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Informatics, Cyprus University of Technology.
5. Margarita Chli, Assistant Professor – Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus –and– Director of Vision for Robotics Lab at the Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich.
6. Dimitris Angelakis, Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering –and– Director of the Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Research Group, Technical University of Crete
7. Giorgos Zacharia, President of KAYAK, Co-Founder and Board Member of Insurify, United States of America
8. Nick Kounoupias, Partner and Head of the Intellectual Property Department, Michael Kyprianou Law Firm
9. Nikolas Markou, Managing Partner and Head of Artificial Intelligence, Electi Consulting
10. Orla Ni Chorcora, Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Equinix

"At the same time," the Deputy Minister concluded, "in the context of the implementation of the European Regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AI Act), which aims to ensure that the use and development of AI systems in the European Union (EU) is safe, ethical and compatible with the fundamental values of the EU, the Cabinet has today also approved the creation of a governance structure at the national level, and specifically of the national competent authorities for the supervision and enforcement of the provisions of the Regulation.

More specifically, the Communications Commissioner is designated as the Notifying Authority and as the Market Surveillance Authority, which acts as the Single Point of Contact for the AI Regulation.

The Commissioner for Personal Data Protection is also designated as the Market Supervisory Authority for issues related to the areas of the application of her competence."