Microsoft exec on Southern Europe’s big AI moment: skills — not technology — will determine who leads the region’s AI future | Fortune

The second act of artificial intelligence will not be judged by models alone. It will be judged by how economies manage to turn technology into real productivity. After almost two years of impressive demonstrations and incessant discussions around large language models, the global economy is entering a new phase. The question is no longer who has the most powerful AI tool, but which organizations — and which countries — have the skills, leadership and infrastructure to harness the technology at scale. That is, to become the region’s Frontier AI leaders.

In Southern Europe, this transition is already underway. Greece, Portugal, Italy and other markets in the region are trying to move from simply adopting AI tools to creating an ecosystem that combines human capital, universities, startups, the public sector and modern digital infrastructure.

“I see Greece as more than a market; I…