
Meeting with Alexander Radwan, Member of the German Parliament
January 23, 2024
Meeting of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, with ECFA members
February 1, 2024On January 29, 2024, ECFA held a symposium on ”Artificial Intelligence… Its Importance and Dimensions”, within the framework of the growing importance of this influential field in all aspects of human life. The five axes of the symposium, which was moderated by Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director, were as follows: 1) The role of artificial intelligence in political decision-making and big data strategies in various countries – Dr. Ziad El-Kilany, lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. 2) Economic and financial dimensions of artificial intelligence – Dr. Amira Abdel Aziz, Advisor to the Advanced Data Science and Analytics Department at the Central Bank of Egypt. 3) Military and security dimensions – Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Ahmed El-Desouki, Professor at the Air Defense College. 4) The health and development dimension – Dr. Raneen Soliman, Professor at the University of Hertfordshire, Egypt. 5) Ethical dimensions – Dr. Ihab Khalifa, researcher at the Future Center for Research and Advanced Studies (UAE). 6) The diplomatic dimension – Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director.
In this regard, it was noted that the current international environment is characterized by a high degree of complexity and uncertainty, which in turn makes the decision-making process more difficult. On the other hand, artificial intelligence and its successive developments will bridge this gap of uncertainty. It is no secret that the need for the latter is increasing, especially as computing power becomes more powerful, cheaper, and available to almost everyone. This undoubtedly opens a new door for competition among countries on how to benefit from these data and employ them in a manner that serves these countries’ interests.
The participants concluded that artificial intelligence is not merely a new technology, but rather heralding a new civilization or era, and has invaded almost all areas of life. Despite consensus on many ethical caveats, in fact, this technology will not stop, and it must be treated as such. In this regard, the partcipants recommended the necessity of paying further attention to scientific research and the education and health sectors, in connection with artificial intelligence applications, in addition to the importance of preserving and respecting intellectual property in arts and innovations.
Moreover, the Egyptian media must adopt an integrated media map to raise awareness among citizens about the nature of artificial intelligence, its importance, applications, and caveats, in parallel with enhancing confidence among citizens in the various digital services provided to them, and ensuring their effectiveness and efficiency as desired. Small companies operating in this field must also be encouraged, provided with various incentives, and benefited from in developing relevant applications, in a manner that serves the state’s interests.