Meanwhile, the future has arrived without making much noise, and what impresses me most is not the advances announced by the world giants, but the way in which Artificial Intelligence is discreetly entering the Portuguese real economy.

Over the last few months, I have been closely following what is happening in Portugal at the intersection between technology, data centres, cloud, artificial intelligence and international investment. The conclusion is beginning to become evident. AI is no longer an experiment. It is transforming processes, increasing productivity and changing the way companies work.

The most recent example comes in public procurement, an area traditionally associated with bureaucracy, extensive documentation and lengthy processes. Portuguese companies are already using Artificial Intelligence to analyse tenders, organise documentation, identify opportunities and even prepare proposals more quickly and rigorously. What once required days of administrative work can now be done in a few hours. Most importantly, this democratisation allows small and medium-sized companies to compete in tenders where they previously did not have enough resources to participate.

But the phenomenon is not limited to the technology sector. In industry, construction and services, very concrete results are beginning to emerge. Portuguese companies report significant reductions in time spent on repetitive tasks, freeing up teams for more value-added functions. In some cases, administrative processes that consumed hours began to be executed in a fraction of that time. It is not about replacing people. It is about allowing people to do better what really requires knowledge, experience and decision-making capacity.

Perhaps this is precisely where one of the greatest opportunities for Portugal lies. For decades, productivity has been one of the structural challenges of our economy. We produce talent of enormous quality, but we often remain trapped in administrative, bureaucratic or operational processes that limit our competitiveness. Artificial Intelligence can be one of the tools capable of helping to solve part of this problem.

At the same time, signs of something even more relevant are beginning to emerge. Portugal is no longer just using technology developed in other countries. It is actively participating in its construction. The growth of technology centres, research hubs, software companies and international investments shows that we are creating our own ecosystem. The arrival of companies connected to the cloud, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and data centres demonstrates that there is confidence in the national capacity to integrate this new digital economy.

The most interesting thing is that this transformation is happening at a particularly favourable time. Portugal has qualified talent, internationally recognised universities, a growing digital infrastructure and a strategic position between Europe, America and Africa. For years, we have talked about the country as a tourist destination. Today, we also start talking about Portugal as a technological destination.

Of course, there are challenges. Training remains essential. The adaptation of organisations will be decisive. And the State itself will have to accelerate its digital transformation to keep up with what is already happening in companies. But the direction seems increasingly clear.

When we look at concrete examples of Portuguese companies using Artificial Intelligence to increase efficiency, improve processes and gain competitiveness, we realise that the real revolution is not in the most mediatic ads or in theoretical debates. It is in the daily work of thousands of professionals who start using these tools to produce more and better.

Perhaps that is why I consider this one of the most important economic news of recent times. Because we are not just talking about technology. We are talking about Portugal's ability to increase productivity, create more value, attract investment and generate more qualified jobs.

The Artificial Intelligence revolution is not just around the corner. It is already in. And, silently, he starts working every day within Portuguese companies.