By ; Mohamed El Kholy – Nahla Makled
The report on the "Government's Readiness for Artificial Intelligence" index issued by Oxford Insights and the Center for International Development Research revealed that Egypt's ranking in the general index has advanced 55 ranks to the 56th in the world among 172 countries, compared to the 111th among 194 countries in the year 2019.
According to the report, a methodology for measuring the willingness of governments to use artificial intelligence techniques was applied based on three main axes and 33 indicators, the most prominent of which are the existence of a national strategy for artificial intelligence, data protection and privacy laws, the use of information and communication technology and digital services, communication infrastructure, and the availability of digital skills. And entrepreneurship culture.
Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stressed that AI is one of the most important priorities of the Egyptian government at the present time. He explained that the improvement in Egypt's ranking of 55 centers within one year reflects the extent of the efforts made by the government to achieve this achievement, the most prominent of which is the expansion in adopting modern technologies to provide Egypt's digital services. And the implementation of a huge project to develop the communications infrastructure with investments amounting to about $ 1.6 billion in 2019 and the implementation of the second phase of the project in the current fiscal year with investments of $ 300 million, in addition to creating the legislative and legal environment that governs the uses of artificial intelligence through the issuance of the Personal Data Protection Law that regulates The relationship between data owner and users.
He added, within the framework of the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is cooperating with major international companies specialized in the implementation of projects in applied research using artificial intelligence technologies in the various sectors of the state while transferring knowledge to Egyptian youth.
He explained that cooperation is taking place with major educational institutions and prestigious international universities in order to prepare digital cadres specialized in artificial intelligence technologies, and the ministry is also implementing capacity-building programs to train state and private sector employees, students and graduates on AI techniques in their respective fields, as well as awareness programs for society as a whole to educate citizens. The importance of artificial intelligence and its benefits, and the possibility for citizens to benefit from it, regardless of their interests and according to their field of specialization and work.
For her part, Dr. Golestan Radwan, Adviser to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, emphasized the effective developmental role of artificial intelligence in all sectors of the Egyptian state, whether in economic, political or social terms, and the multiplicity of parties benefiting from the applications of this technology, noting that the government is currently working on implementing the national strategy for intelligence Artificial Intelligence, which aims to localize technology and use AI applications to achieve Egypt's development goals in vital areas such as agriculture, water management and rationalization, economic planning, culture and antiquities, industry and infrastructure, as well as consolidating Egyptian leadership at the regional level and emphasizing its effective role at the international level in this field .
