“I have Plus”: Georgiadis asked ChatGPT about the economy and received a response of -1.9%

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis decided to test his argument directly on television using ChatGPT – but the response he received was not at all what he expected.

An unusual episode occurred on the morning broadcast Action24 while discussing the economic situation, the purchasing power of Greeks and how the population’s actual spending matches the optimistic picture painted by the government.

Georgiadis initially referred to consumption and shopping figures at supermarkets, arguing that continued trading activity demonstrated the ability of citizens to continue to meet their needs.

Essentially, the minister’s argument boiled down to a fairly simple idea: if people continue to buy, it means they somehow have money for purchases.

“I have Plus”: Georgiadis asked ChatGPT about the economy and received a response of -1.9% pic.twitter.com/KqPSvfubR2

— Athens News (@russianathens) September 7, 2026

This debate is directly related to the broader issue of the cost of living, which the Athens News explored in detail in the story “Cost of living in Greece in 2026: how much is needed for housing, food, transport and family”.

“I have Plus too”

When the conversation turned to restaurants and one of the program participants announced a decrease in the turnover of catering establishments, Georgiadis did not agree with this.

Then the minister decided to immediately check the figure.

“I’ll ask ChatGPT: “Is restaurant turnover down in 2025?” I also have Plus.”

Georgiadis took out his smartphone and asked the app a question right in the studio.

But instead of confirming his position, a negative indicator appeared on the screen – −1.9%.

This brought smiles to the program participants, and a remark was heard in the studio:

“Unfortunately, minus 1.9%. Chat is not wrong.”

Georgiadis himself then tried to clarify the argument by talking about nominal turnover and the impact of inflation.

Here you can put a video clip from Action24 / Glomex.

But what do the official numbers really say?

And this is where the story gets even more interesting.

Number −1.9%which ChatGPT broadcast, actually exists in the official data Greek Statistical Service ELSTAT.

However, it applies not by 2025and to the first quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2025.

During this period, the turnover of public catering establishments decreased from approximately €2.184 billion to €2.141 billionthat is, really on 1.9%.

But if we answer literally the question voiced by Georgiadis – “has turnover decreased in 2025?” — the official answer is even less convenient for the minister.

According to the final data ELSTAT for the entire year 2025the turnover of public catering enterprises amounted to about €10.735 billion versus €11.117 billion in 2024.

This means a decrease already by 3.4%.

The situation has not improved in 2026 either.

Moreover, the first quarter was not an isolated episode.

In the second quarter of 2026, the turnover of the catering industry decreased again – by approximately 2.5% in annual terms.

That is, the trend continued during the period when tourist activity traditionally begins to noticeably increase.

This is especially interesting against the backdrop of government announcements about rising incomes, tax breaks and other measures presented by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at ΔΕΘ. A full analysis of these measures was published by Athens News in the article “Mitsotakis on ΔΕΘ: a complete analysis of 30 measures – to whom, how many and when”.

Turnover is not yet purchasing power

But there is another significant problem with the television discussion itself.

The turnover of a store or restaurant cannot be automatically equated to the purchasing power of the population.

If prices have increased, the consumer may spend more euros and at the same time buy fewer goods or services.

And vice versa, even a stable nominal turnover does not prove that the real disposable incomes of citizens have not deteriorated.

Therefore, to assess purchasing power, it is necessary to look simultaneously at inflation, real wages, disposable income, sales volumes, the cost of housing, food and energy.

The fact that the supermarket checkout shows a large amount does not in itself mean that the buyer has become richer.

ChatGPT as a TV referee

The most interesting thing in this story is not even the debate about 1.9 or 3.4%.

In a rare case, a sitting minister decided during a live broadcast to use an artificial intelligence system as an almost instantaneous source of fact-checking.

The experiment was spectacular, but at the same time demonstrated the limitations of this approach.

ChatGPT can quickly find and explain statistics, but for questions like these, period, indicator wording and primary source. Without checking them, even the correct number may answer a completely different question.

Source link