Cairo
The Arab Federation for Digital Economy participated in the first session of the high-level regional roundtable on “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability” entitled: “From Innovation to Impact”, which was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, organized by the Arab Organization for Communication and Information Technologies in Tunisia, in cooperation with the Department of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation of the League of Arab States.
The Union was represented at the first roundtable by Dr. Mohamed Fahmy, Chairman of the Union’s Artificial Intelligence Committee, who delivered a speech in which he stressed that artificial intelligence has become a strategic necessity to support sustainable development and to raise the position of Arab economies on the global map.
The Union’s participation comes within the framework of its efforts to enhance regional cooperation and exchange experiences with Arab and international institutions, and to work collectively to consolidate the role of artificial intelligence as a fundamental pillar for building an Arab knowledge economy that keeps pace with global transformations.
Highlights from Dr. Mohamed Fahmy’s speech during the sessions :
- Artificial intelligence has become a strategic infrastructure that is reshaping production systems, work patterns, and forms of competitiveness in the global economy. From this perspective, the Union believes that its adoption in the Arab region is an existential imperative.
- Artificial intelligence goes beyond improving basic services; it represents an entry point for establishing “Arab knowledge economies” that rely on innovation and creativity, and transforming big data into a sovereign resource that is equivalent in value to traditional natural resources.
- The regulatory frameworks required are not only to regulate ethical use, but also to protect digital sovereignty, and to ensure that the path of technological transformation remains consistent with societal values and security considerations, while avoiding falling into the trap of technological dependence on global power centers.
- The Arab Federation for Digital Economy is working on developing innovative applied initiatives, such as: establishing joint investment funds in AI startups, building regional research centers, and establishing an “Arab Observatory for Artificial Intelligence” that monitors global transformations and provides proactive policies to decision-makers.
