AI ethics at the forefront
The consultation, funded by the European Union, was launched by the UNESCO Cairo Regional Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).
'This event is a cornerstone of our work. We must ensure that the rules of laws are in place and policy frameworks must be built to limit negative impacts or repercussions while guiding the development and deployment of AI systems to interact with national priorities and address global challenges,' Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO assistant director-general for Social and Human Sciences, said in a video message during the launch event.
Nuria Sanz, director of UNESCO's regional office for Egypt and Sudan, described the consultations as the first step in preparing for close cooperation between MCIT in Egypt and the UNESCO office in Cairo. Sanz said it was in full alignment with the second phase of Egypt's AI strategy launched in January, with ethics at the centre of the discussion 'for the good of humanity'.
Egypt began to give special importance to AI in 2019, according to Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat. Talaat said the first version of the national strategy included several work axes, foremost among which was expanding the base of trained cadres.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, 12 colleges specialised in AI were established, including the University of Egypt for Informatics, the first university specialised in communications and information technology in Africa. There was also a steady expansion in various training initiatives that aim to develop skills in AI to prepare a generation capable of using the technology.
To implement the strategy, the Applied Innovation Centre was established, implementing projects using modern technologies to build systems in various fields, with a focus on providing technological solutions in agriculture, health care and language recognition, especially Arabic, whether classical or colloquial Egyptian, and converting spoken text into written text and vice versa, with translation in a number of languages, Talaat said.
The government is keen to ensure that the use of AI technology is associated with concern over its ethics, Talaat stressed. It also targets improving the skills of the public in line with the requirements of the current and future labour market, adding that the Egyptian Charter for Responsible Artificial Intelligence was launched in 2023, leading to Egypt jumping 50 places in the artificial intelligence classification indicators from 2020 to 2024.
In January, Egypt unveiled its second National Strategy for AI (2025-2030), aiming to establish an inclusive AI framework that accelerates the vision of a digital Egypt.
It aims to expand computing infrastructure, enabling companies working in artificial intelligence to obtain data that enables them to develop AI applications while protecting data privacy. The strategy also targets training and expanding a skills base, expanding the construction of applications using such technology, raising community awareness about the technology and supporting emerging companies.
'The strategy is designed to enhance development in various sectors, deepen regional and international cooperation, and position Egypt as a leading hub for AI in Africa and the Arab region,' Talaat added.
Egypt is president of the Arab Artificial Intelligence and African Artificial Intelligence groups in the African Union, Talaat noted, adding that efforts within these two groups resulted in formulating a unified Arab vision for AI and preparing a continental AI strategy for the African Union.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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