EU leaders hold first-ever summit on artificial intelligence in Dublin
Cyprus is represented by President Christodoulides at an informal gathering that comes days after Nicosia adopted its own national AI strategy.
European Union leaders gather in Dublin on Friday for the bloc's first meeting devoted entirely to artificial intelligence. The informal summit is chaired by European Council President António Costa, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also attending.
According to the official briefing, talks will revolve around three themes: Europe's competitiveness and technological sovereignty in AI, the wider effect on European societies including safety and trust, and the EU's future priorities in the field. The discussion is expected to feed into the informal Leaders' Retreat planned for 5 February 2027.
The programme opens with a presentation by Arthur Mensch, chief executive of French company Mistral AI. A second session will begin with an address by Nobel Prize-winning researcher Geoffrey Hinton.
For Cyprus the timing is notable: the Council of Ministers approved the country's first National AI Strategy on 10 November, with a planning horizon running to 2032. It aims to turn Cyprus into a credible AI hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, with emphasis on national computing infrastructure and on using European programmes such as EuroHPC, AI Factories and Pharos-CY.
Nicosia says it backs Europe's ambition to build and deploy AI, favouring open strategic autonomy over technological isolation. Education features prominently — updated curricula, digital and AI literacy, teacher training — and the government stresses the protection of minors online, welcoming the proposed EU Kids Act.
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