In February 2026, Egypt hosted the first regional edition of the “AI Everything Middle East & Africa” Summit under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, through a strategic partnership between the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the global GITEX exhibition network.
Held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center, the summit brought together more than 350 AI companies and startups from over 30 countries, alongside more than 100 investors managing a combined investment portfolio worth $50 billion. Major global technology companies participated, including IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Cerebras, and Cloudera, in addition to leading regional innovators.
Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of KAOUN International, the organizer of GITEX exhibitions, described the summit as more than the opening of a technology exhibition, calling it:
“The symbolic opening of a new economic era for the region,”
noting that artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the infrastructure of nations.
Karnak: Egypt’s First National Large Language Model Leading Regional Rankings
The most prominent announcement at the summit was Egypt’s launch of its national large language model, Karnak, named after the Karnak Temple in Luxor as a symbol of Egypt’s ancient civilization.
Karnak ranks first among Arabic models in the 30–40 billion parameter category, while also holding a competitive position in the 70–80 billion parameter range.
The model was trained on tens of millions of Arabic datasets and designed specifically to understand the cultural and linguistic nuances that Western-trained models often fail to capture.
Engineer Ahmed El Zaher, CEO of ITIDA, explained that Karnak is not simply a standalone product, but rather:
“Foundational infrastructure”
that will serve as the base upon which startups and private companies can build AI applications tailored for local and regional markets.
National Applications: From Classrooms to Healthcare
Alongside Karnak, Egypt launched a package of national AI-powered applications, reflecting a shift from theoretical discussions to practical implementation affecting citizens’ daily lives.
Education Sector
Egypt launched “Sia”, an intelligent personal tutor supporting high school students and teachers in Arabic language and Egyptian history.
The application is designed to bridge educational gaps and provide personalized learning experiences for each student.
Legal and Administrative Services
A smart legal and regulatory assistant was introduced to help citizens and SMEs better understand and navigate regulatory frameworks, reducing administrative burdens and increasing transparency.
Healthcare Sector
Egypt unveiled locally developed AI engines for the early detection of:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Macular edema
- Breast cancer
These systems were trained on medical data collected from Egyptian patients, making them more accurate and relevant for local populations.
Egypt is also collaborating with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to share these solutions and transfer expertise to Arab and African countries through the AI-Share Initiative.
Additional AI Applications
Other launched applications include:
- Tarjuman – machine translation platform.
- Bel Masry – a system capable of understanding Egyptian Arabic dialect and performing speech-to-text and text-to-speech conversion.
- Lugha – an English-learning platform aimed at improving workforce competitiveness, particularly in the outsourcing sector.
Tools such as Aqua and React were also integrated into Egypt’s digital platform to monitor service quality in government call centers.
People of Data Summit: An 18-Month Economic Roadmap
In March 2026, Cairo hosted the People of Data – Sharks Edition Summit, gathering technology experts, AI specialists, and investors to create a practical roadmap for accelerating Egypt’s economic growth using AI over the next 18 months.
Discussions focused on three key pillars:
- AI’s transformation from a technical tool into a virtual colleague reshaping labor markets.
- The role of the private sector in leading transformation rather than merely adapting to global trends.
- Requirements for competing in the global innovation race.
Participants collectively manage data ecosystems serving more than 50 million users in Egypt, grounding the discussions in real operational environments rather than theoretical frameworks.
The People of Data community aims to become the leading AI platform in the Arab world, connecting capital with technology and accelerating the transition toward a knowledge-based economy.
International Partnerships and African Expansion
Egypt’s efforts have not been limited to domestic initiatives.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Raafat Hindi announced that Egypt is strengthening cooperation with Arab and African nations to expand the impact of AI initiatives.
He emphasized that countries of the Global South must contribute to shaping global AI transformation through a shared vision.
This statement was delivered during the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted in India, where Egypt also expressed support for the summit’s final declaration.
Egypt is additionally participating in shaping summit outcomes as co-chair of the working group focused on democracy in AI resources.
National Strategy and Future Vision
Since launching its first National AI Strategy in 2019, Egypt has advanced 60 positions in the Global AI Readiness Index.
Egypt is now implementing the second phase of its strategy (2025–2030), which aims to integrate AI across priority sectors such as:
- Healthcare
- Agriculture
- Education
- Justice
- Public services
all under a framework of responsible governance.
Egypt also aims to generate approximately $42.7 billion in AI-driven economic value by 2030.
By hosting the first edition of AI Everything MEA in Cairo, alongside plans for a second edition in September 2026, Egypt is signaling its ambition to become a major player in shaping the future of artificial intelligence in the region—not as an observer, but as an architect of that future.
Artificial Intelligence in Military Industries and Cyber Defense
In the defense and security domain, Minister of State for Military Production, Engineer Salah Salem Gamblat, announced that the next phase will witness strong expansion in:
- Artificial intelligence
- Cyber warfare countermeasures
Speaking during a meeting with ministry staff after taking the constitutional oath, he stated that the military production sector possesses advanced technological, industrial, and human capabilities.
He added that Egypt will continue localizing advanced manufacturing technologies and attracting new investments to increase value added within the national economy.
Summit Details and Launch of Karnak and National Applications
Source: Egypt Today, 13 February 2026 + Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology / ITIDA
