“Greek Businesses in a Changing Technological Environment” was the issue at the center of an event of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Greece (IIA Greece), in collaboration with the Association of Businesses and Industries (SEB).

The key issues that were developed concerned both data security and governance in the era of artificial intelligence in a European and National context, as well as the integration of innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

Opening the event, the President of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Greece, Verra Marmalidou, spoke about the ongoing challenges presented by technology developments for businesses, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, and the need for their continuous monitoring by internal audit professionals.

Taking the floor first, Dr. Maria Bozoudi, Senior Advisor, Sector of Industry, Development and Technology BSE referred to the low penetration of artificial intelligence in our country, at a rate of only 4%, while in Europe it is at 8%, adding, in fact, that 2/3 of businesses consider that it does not concern them. In this context, he mentioned the BSE initiative in collaboration with Google, ”RU AI”, which includes technological empowerment actions, recommending a guide with the benefits of artificial intelligence.

At the same time, Astrid Lagenveld-Vos, Member of the Board of the European Confederation of Internal Audit Associations (ECIIA) and Chief Audit Executive of the Dutch company Achmea of ​​the Dutch company Achmea emphasized that AI technology is key to the success of businesses in the future, however , if there is no good knowledge of it, it can prove to be a complex process. For Ms. Lagenveld-Vos, the application of artificial intelligence should ensure ethics, privacy, but also the space for human rights, also referring to the importance of internal auditors in reducing risks from AI.

Next, Dimitris Karastogiannis, Chief Corporate Affairs & Business Development Officer, Lamda Development developed the case study of the “smart city” of Hellinikon, with technology being at the center of this achievement: A network of smart solutions for data collection, in order for the user to enjoy all the technologies in his daily life. Characteristically, in order to make this investment, 45,000 sensors are placed, in indoor and outdoor spaces, in combination with the utilization of data.

In this context, Maya Stylianou, Energy Efficiency Director & Corporate Communications & CSR Director, Elpedison referred to the significant advantages offered by mechanical analysis/machine learning in predictive maintenance, in order to increase the reliability and availability of equipment, improve operational performance of the systems, the reduction of CAPEX in machinery as well as OPEX in maintenance costs. He added that more and more companies are adopting machine learning technologies for predictive maintenance as we move to Industry 4.0, while improving their environmental footprint and contributing to the achievement of their Organizations’ ESG goals.

Ioannis Tsiliras, Director of Customer Experience Transformation, OTE Group, described artificial intelligence as an “ocean of opportunities”, as long as the question of what we really want to do with it is answered. According to him, it is important to highlight the brand and ensure the customer experience, referring, at this point, to the Customer Experience Index, an indicator-tool created by the group with the aim of a more targeted approach to the consumer, based on needs of.

Ioannis Alexakis, General Director of Staff Planning, National Cyber ​​Security Authority, Ministry of Digital Governance, spoke about the European and national framework for cyber security, he noted that Greece has already legislated from 2022 on cyber security and artificial intelligence, creating, in fact and 13 different legislative initiatives. At this point, he spoke extensively about the importance of the European NIS2 directive, which obliges member states to make technological adjustments to institutionally shield themselves against new digital challenges. It is applicable to the majority of businesses, from 50 people or more, in sectors such as the supply chain, medicines, telecommunications, etc.

The Data Act was at the heart of the presentation by Sofoklis Karapidakis, Group Compliance Director and Data Protection Officer, Metlen, stressing that its purpose is to provide advice on data management by consumers and set rules for their access, use and disposal. He added that it mainly concerns industrial data, while protecting intellectual property and trade secrets.

For his part, Yannis Kypraios, NBG, Group CISO, analyzed the challenges of AI, also talking about Generative AI, linking the evolution of the ecosystem with two types of cyberattacks that may occur, the “poisoning attack” and ”invisible attack”, the visible and the invisible, that is, to the human eye.