Cairo

Source: Al-Wafd newspaper

Dr. Ali Mohamed Al-Khouri

Today, Egypt is considered one of the promising countries in the Arab region to benefit from artificial intelligence technology, with the government seeking to enhance this vital sector through national policies launched to drive innovation, create new investment opportunities, and raise efficiency in various sectors, and even with the ambition to become a regional center for this advanced technology.

According to the World Economic Forum, investment in artificial intelligence worldwide is witnessing significant growth, with global spending on this technology expected to reach more than $300 billion by 2026.

In Egypt, the IT sector is witnessing steady growth, with investments in this field reaching about $3.5 billion in 2022, with expectations of this figure increasing in the coming years. This growth reflects the government’s belief in the importance of developing artificial intelligence to support economic development and enhance digital transformation.

On the international level, Egypt was among the countries that participated in drafting the recommendations document on the use of artificial intelligence in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This document, which focuses on the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, enhances Egypt’s pioneering position in this field, as it became the first Arab and African country to adopt these guidelines.

Among the areas expected to witness rapid growth thanks to AI in Egypt are industrial applications in areas such as agriculture, energy, and healthcare. This technology can contribute significantly to improving productivity and efficiency in these vital sectors, while reducing costs and improving the quality of services. For example, in the healthcare sector, AI can be used to analyze medical data and develop customized solutions, which contributes to improving the level of healthcare and reducing costs. In the agricultural sector, smart agriculture technology plays an increasingly important role, with its potential to improve productivity, predict weather conditions, control diseases and pests, and reduce waste of resources.

Despite these opportunities, AI applications and investments in Egypt face several challenges, most notably the lack of specialized expertise and digital infrastructure. This requires focusing on investing in digital infrastructure, building digital skills among young people, and providing the necessary education and training opportunities to develop these capabilities, in addition to developing appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks to encourage investment and ensure legal protection for advanced technology developers.

In this context, the Egyptian government offers many incentives to investors, including tax breaks and financial support for small and medium enterprises in the technology sector, establishing free technology zones and providing investment facilities, and business incubators to support start-ups, in addition to international cooperation with global companies and academic institutions to exchange knowledge and expertise, with the aim of accelerating the pace of digital transformation and attracting more foreign investments.

Artificial intelligence undoubtedly represents a great opportunity for Egypt to enhance its regional and international position in the technology sector. It is imperative that Egypt has clear strategies that do not only rely on adopting technology, but also include developing legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure the safe and responsible use of these technologies, as the global impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market and the level of digital security increases.