Rabat – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is set to host a high-level forum on Artificial Intelligence (AI) from June 3 to 5 at the Ai Movement research center located on the UM6P campus in Sale.
The forum, which will follow closely on the heels of GITEX Africa, to be held from March 29 to 31, aims to explore the transformative potential of AI across the African continent.
In a press release, UM6P highlighted the significant impact of AI on both personal and professional spheres globally. “The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with sophisticated applications and autonomous machines taking over some of human activities are having a profound impact on our personal and professional lives, and on societies across the globe,” the university stated.
Africa’s ambition to leverage emerging technologies, including AI, is central to the forum’s agenda. “Africa has the ambition to harness the potential offered by emerging technologies, including AI, to transform the continent and make the 21st century Africa’s century,” UM6P emphasized.
This transformation requires strategic development of AI to support digital transformation while ensuring legal and regulatory measures are in place to protect users and society, it noted.
The forum will address several key objectives, including discussing AI strategies and policies, sharing the latest AI developments in Africa, and fostering dialogues on AI governance relevant to African communities. It will also focus on launching capacity-building initiatives for various sectors, such as the public sector, judiciary, legislative bodies, and marginalized groups like youth and women.
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UM6P noted the dual perspectives on AI’s potential, adding in the release that “while some see AI as a revolutionary technology that will change and improve people’s lives, others focus more on its transformative potential for the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as its impact on competitiveness and productivity in the global economy over the next years and decades.”
A critical issue highlighted by the university is the balance between innovation and regulation. “The pre-eminent issue is how to protect citizens, democracies, and people’s wellbeing and ensure fair markets, while allowing the emerging technologies and local businesses to flourish,” the press release stated.
UM6P particularly stressed in the release that governments must evolve with technology to establish and enforce rules that protect the public from potential negative effects while harnessing AI-enabled solutions for inclusive development, social wellbeing, and economic prosperity.
The forum will also mark the signing of a tripartite agreement between UNESCO, the Moroccan government, and Ai Movement. The agreement will establish the Ai Movement as a UNESCO Category 2 Center; a regional hub for AI research, development, governance, capacity building, and collaborations across Africa.
Speaking on French television network TV5Monde’s program Le Journal Afrique, Ai Movement’s Executive President Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni explained that a UNESCO Category 2 center is one that has received a “label of excellence” from 193 member states during the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023.
“This gives us recognition from all states for the level of excellence of this center. It also means that we have, in our DNA, concerns that align with the Sustainable Development Goals, since we are going to develop a trustworthy, ethical, and responsible AI that will solve societal problems,” Seghrouchni added.
