Greece leads Europe in Gen Z AI adoption, says Microsoft VP

In an interview with Fortune Greece, Charles Calestroupat, Microsoft's Vice President for Southern Europe, expressed a strong belief that Greece is poised to become a regional artificial intelligence hub. He emphasized that the country's future in AI will be determined not by technology alone but by the availability of skilled people. Calestroupat highlighted several factors supporting this vision: a maturing innovation ecosystem, public digital initiatives like mAigov, growing investments in cloud and data centers, and a workforce with the right skills. Microsoft has already contributed to this development through its GR for GRowth initiative, which has trained 100,000 people in digital skills, including public and private sector professionals, students, and the unemployed. Calestroupat noted that Greece ranks first in Europe in AI usage by Gen Z, indicating a strong foundation for future adoption. However, he also pointed out a transformation paradox prevalent in Europe: while 65% of people fear being left behind in AI transformation, 45% prefer to stay in a safe zone and avoid failure. This paradox, combined with lower AI adoption by Greek companies compared to other Southern European markets like Portugal and Cyprus, suggests that skills alone are not sufficient. To address this, Microsoft is upgrading Athens to a central administrative hub for Southern Europe and investing €1 billion in three data centers in Eastern Attica, forming the Azure Cloud Region Greece Central. Additionally, Digital Realty has created the largest data center campus in Greece with over €400 million in investments across Attica and Crete. These developments, along with new international investors, are creating conditions for Southern Europe to move from AI ambition to execution. Calestroupat emphasized that successful organizations, or Frontier Firms, must redesign their work processes to accommodate AI, focus deployment on core business processes, and invest in structural reskilling of staff. The integration of AI agents presents an opportunity for digital transformation and bridging the productivity gap, especially for frontline employees. The third phase involves creating teams of agents under human control. Ultimately, the region's AI future depends on organizations' ability to redesign work, invest in people's skills, and build trust to produce measurable business value.