Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus has unveiled its National AI Strategy 2032, setting out a long-term roadmap to transform public administration, strengthen economic competitiveness and establish the country as a trusted regional artificial intelligence hub.
The strategy describes AI as a national capability expected to support economic growth, public services and long-term resilience, while stressing the need for national governance over its adoption.
National ambitions
The document states that countries face a choice between adopting AI deliberately under their own governance frameworks or becoming dependent on technologies developed elsewhere.
It cites international forecasts projecting the global AI market will grow from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033. AI and automation are also expected to reshape businesses in almost every sector over the coming decade.
For Cyprus, whose economy is largely services-based, the strategy identifies both opportunities and vulnerabilities for sectors including financial services, tourism, legal services, shipping and professional services, which rely heavily on data, digital interaction and knowledge-intensive work.
Trusted regional hub
The government’s stated objective is for Cyprus to become the leading trusted AI hub in the Eastern Mediterranean by 2032, serving as a reliable European jurisdiction for AI-enabled services and a bridge between the European Union and neighbouring regions.
The strategy centres on the concept of AI sovereignty, defined as retaining control over critical infrastructure, valuable datasets, governance and skills while cooperating with international partners where greater scale is needed.
It states that AI should augment rather than replace people, with high-impact systems subject to human oversight, transparency, accountability and safeguards in line with European legislation, including the EU AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation.
Public services and targets
A significant part of the strategy focuses on government, with a proposed shift from digital public services towards “intelligent governance”. The aim is to use trustworthy AI to provide faster, more personalised and proactive services while protecting privacy, security and freedom of choice.
The targets include reaching 75 per cent AI adoption by 2032, reducing citizen waiting times by 40 per cent, delivering a more consistent customer experience across government and placing Cyprus among Europe’s top 10 countries for digital and AI skills.
Citizens could eventually use multilingual AI assistants able to learn from approved interactions, anticipate requests and provide round-the-clock support through preferred communication channels. Businesses would be offered more seamless digital dealings with government through a proposed Digital Company 2.0 initiative.
