The 1st High-Level Forum on Artificial Intelligence kicked off on Monday in Rabat at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University campus under the theme “Artificial intelligence as a lever for development in Africa.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a historic turning point for Morocco and Africa, allowing them to participate in this “great leap” for Humanity, King Mohammed VI’s Advisor André Azoulay said Tuesday in Rabat.
“Morocco and Africa will find their rightful place in this technology of tomorrow without any complexes,” Azoulay underlined at the closing ceremony of the 1st High-Level Forum on AI, recalling that “our History inspires us to have all the audacity and all the ambitions” in this area.
“This high-level event has showed how Africa is predisposed to being strongly involved in this AI world, thus demonstrating agility and lucidity to face its risks and challenges, especially since the previous performances of Morocco and Africa are an eloquent witness to this,” the King’s Advisor underlined.
The three-day international event brings together representatives from over 30 countries, including some 15 African countries, with the aim of laying the groundwork for an African strategy dedicated to AI.
It is attended by global leaders, technology experts, policymakers and civil society representatives to discuss the latest advances in AI in Morocco and the rest of Africa.
The Forum program featured roundtables, workshops, networking sessions for start-ups and exhibitions with the objectives of discussing strategies and policies for AI in Africa, sharing advances in AI on the continent, debating AI governance on key themes, launching capacity-building initiatives for various groups and facilitating collaborations between African and global AI centers.
Several panels discussing “international conversations on AI”, “an AI strategy for Africa – What’s next?”, “African parliaments and AI governance” and “the role of the judiciary in AI governance” are paving the way for the official launch in Rabat of the first Category II AI Center in Africa, symbolizing a decisive step towards integrating AI into the continent’s development strategies.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, who took part in the closing session, welcomed the partnership between UNESCO and the Ai Movement center of UM6P for the High-Level Forum on AI in Africa.
“Last November, UNESCO labeled the AI Movement Center as a Category II center,” Jelassi told MAP, adding that this decision by the Executive Council of the UN agency was “a vote of confidence and recognition of the excellence of this research center and its strong potential for the future.”
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.