Cyprus government announces plans to train 3,000 AI professionals by 2032

On November 10, 2026, Cyprus’s Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, announced a government initiative to develop at least 3,000 artificial intelligence professionals by 2032. Speaking at the 22nd Annual Economist Cyprus Summit in Nicosia, he emphasized that the goal is not to win the global AI race, but to integrate the technology where it provides the greatest value to the nation’s economy.

To achieve this, the government introduced a 'Social Contract for AI,' comprising three core pillars. These include an AI Literacy Framework to incorporate artificial intelligence and critical thinking into school curricula while maintaining teacher oversight, a National AI Skills Observatory to align training with specific labor market requirements, and the FutureAI CY initiative, which provides retraining programs for employees and small businesses.

Minister Damianou argued that the primary obstacle to AI adoption is organizational, not technical, and warned that failing to democratize access to these tools risks exacerbating social inequality. The initiatives are designed to ensure that AI empowers the workforce rather than replacing it, focusing on bridging the digital divide through targeted educational and industrial reforms.