Cyprus hosts Amazon Senior Vice President, Mr Panos A. Panay, at the “Shaping the Next Digital Frontier” Conference

Chief Scientist, Mr Demetris Skourides, leads fireside chat on turning innovation into trusted impact for citizens, businesses and Europe’s digital future.

Cyprus placed itself at the centre of Europe’s next digital chapter as the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus hosted “Shaping the Next Digital Frontier”, a high-level conference focused on trusted Artificial Intelligence (AI), resilient connectivity, human-centred innovation and digital sovereignty.

Held under the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), the event reflected the Presidency’s strategic framing: “An Autonomous Union. Open to the World.” It brought together leaders from government, technology, business and innovation to explore how Europe can move faster, build smarter and deliver digital transformation that citizens can trust.

A central highlight of the conference was the fireside chat “From Innovation to Impact”, hosted by Mr  Demetris Skourides, Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation anology of the Republic of Cyprus and Chairman of the National AI Taskforce, with Mr Panos A. Panay, Senior Vice President of Devices, Alexa and Leo at Amazon.

The discussion examined how breakthrough technologies from Artificial Intelligence and intelligent devices to satellite connectivity, autonomous mobility and digital public services can be transformed into practical, trusted solutions that improve everyday life.

Opening the conversation, Mr Skourides, framed the challenge clearly: intelligence is no longer confined to laboratories, research centres or data infrastructure. It is moving into every product, every device, every service and every layer of society – from homes, hospitals and schools to ports, public platforms, satellites and critical infrastructure.

“The next digital frontier will belong to countries that can move fast, build trust and design technology around people,” Mr Skourides said. “Cyprus has the agility, connectivity and ambition to be one of those countries.”

He underlined that the next phase of digital transformation will not be defined by technology alone, but by the choices countries make: the choice to build AI that amplifies people; the choice to design public services that citizens trust and use; the choice to make sovereignty a source of confidence rather than isolation; and the choice to move from ideas to execution with speed and purpose.

Mr Panay brought a global product leadership perspective shaped by decades of building technologies used by millions of people worldwide. He emphasised that the most successful technology does not feel complex. It becomes useful, intuitive and trusted because it solves real human problems.

A key message of the fireside chat was the importance of speed. Mr Panay urged Cyprus and Europe to avoid perfection paralysis and to embrace a more agile operating model: deploy, iterate, learn and scale. In the age of AI, he noted, countries that move fast, listen carefully and adapt quickly can create a powerful advantage.

Building on this point, Mr Skourides asked whether Amazon’s principle of customer obsession applies across every product in Mr Panay’s portfolio, including areas such as Zoox and next-generation mobility. Mr Panay confirmed that the same principle applies across products and sectors.

“When you listen carefully to the customer, the product direction becomes clearer and very often, the business model follows,” Mr Panay noted during the discussion.

The conversation also focused on AI as a force for human augmentation. Mr Skourides and Mr Panay explored how AI can strengthen creativity, judgment, productivity and well-being across industry and the public sector, rather than simply replacing human effort. This message aligns strongly with Cyprus’ national AI direction, which places human-centred adoption, trusted governance, skills, public-sector transformation and responsible innovation at the core of the country’s agenda.

Connectivity was another defining theme. Mr Skourides raised the strategic importance of reliable, low-latency infrastructure for Cyprus as an island state, a regional digital hub and a bridge between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Mr Panay highlighted the transformative role of next-generation satellite connectivity, including Amazon Leo, in expanding access, strengthening resilience and enabling new services where traditional infrastructure may be limited.

Drawing on Mr Panay’s response, Mr Skourides asked whether, if data is the new oil and AI is the new energy, connectivity should now be viewed as the central nervous system of the digital economy. Mr Panay’s response reinforced Amazon’s commitment to bringing resilience, speed and connectivity closer to where people, devices and services operate including at the edge.

The discussion reinforced that connectivity is no longer a technical convenience. It is a foundation for inclusion, competitiveness, resilience, security and public-service delivery.

The event also strengthened Cyprus’ positioning as a trusted living lab for Europe. Mr Panay noted that countries combining government commitment, academic capability, entrepreneurial energy, incentives and strong collaboration between public and private sectors can become highly attractive environments for testing, adapting and scaling next-generation technologies.

For Cyprus, this represents a decisive opportunity. The country is small enough to move fast, connected enough to build bridges, trusted enough to host serious partnerships and ambitious enough to contribute meaningfully to Europe’s digital future.

Mr Skourides stressed that Cyprus’ goal is not simply to adopt the next wave of technology, but to help shape it responsibly, openly, securely and always in service of people. He noted that Europe has the science, the values and the talent. The priority now is to build the flywheel that turns ideas into products, products into trust, and trust into competitiveness.

The conference sent a clear message: the future will belong to countries that combine speed with trust, sovereignty with openness, and innovation with human impact.

The message from Lefkosia was clear: Cyprus is not waiting for the next digital frontier to arrive. It is helping shape it with speed, trust, partnerships and technology designed around people. Through this event, Cyprus reinforced its role as an active contributor to Europe’s digital transformation agenda and as a credible platform for AI, connectivity, human-centred technology and public-sector innovation.

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