PHAROS AI Factory, Greece’s national ecosystem for accelerating Artificial Intelligence innovation, was featured on Star Channel’s television programme Star Tech, where Vassilis Katsouros, Director of the Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP) at the Athena Research Center, joined journalist Nefeli Agkyridou to discuss the evolution of Greek-language Artificial Intelligence, the development of open Large Language Models (LLMs), and the strategic importance of language technologies for Greece’s digital future.
During the feature, Mr. Katsouros highlighted the Institute’s longstanding contribution to Natural Language Processing, building on more than three decades of research that originated from European initiatives in machine translation. The discussion emphasised Europe’s pioneering role in multilingual language technologies and the importance of strengthening Greece’s technological sovereignty through the development of open Greek Large Language Models, including Meltemi and KriKri, enabling Greek SMEs to develop AI applications tailored to the country’s linguistic, cultural and sectoral needs.
The interview also explored how Large Language Models are developed and trained, the challenges associated with AI hallucinations, and the importance of high-quality linguistic resources for supporting specialised applications in domains such as healthcare, law and scientific research. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to preserve and promote the Greek language as both a technological asset and a key element of Europe’s cultural heritage.
The feature further highlighted PHAROS AI Factory’s role in advancing the Language & Culture pillar, one of its three strategic domains alongside Health and Sustainability. Through access to open Greek language models, advanced AI infrastructure and expertise, PHAROS will empower researchers, startups and SMEs to develop innovative AI applications, including digital assistants for cultural collections and museums, multilingual services, and intelligent translation tools adapted to the Greek language and cultural context.
As highlighted during the programme, the latest Greek Large Language Models developed by the Institute for Language and Speech Processing will soon become available through PHAROS AI Factory, further strengthening Greece’s AI ecosystem and accelerating the development of trustworthy AI applications built on open language technologies.
Viewers may watch the full feature here.
