In a speech at a national conference to present the UNESCO Report assessing Morocco’s readiness for AI, Ms. Ramos congratulated the Kingdom for this pioneering initiative, stressing that the country was a forerunner in the region by launching its report.
The deputy director of the UN agency highlighted the conclusions of the Readiness Assessment Method (RAM), affirming that Morocco benefits from robust foundations for the development of a dynamic AI ecosystem, with a solid technological infrastructure and quality connectivity.
Among the remarkable assets, she cited the exemplary policies in terms of Open Data, considered as the driving force behind the development of artificial intelligence.
Ms. Ramos also said that Morocco has quality training and education infrastructure in AI skills and research in the field, citing the International Center for Artificial Intelligence of Morocco at UM6P, a category 2 center under the auspices of UNESCO.
In the same vein, she praised the strong digital equity policies implemented in the Kingdom, which result in one of the highest feminization rates of engineers in the world (42%), stressing that this is an essential ingredient in building an equitable research and development ecosystem, because gender inequalities within the teams that develop these models lead to inequalities downstream.
“This is an area where Morocco particularly stands out and should serve as a model for other countries,” she noted.
For her part, the Minister responsible for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, Ghita Mezzour, indicated that this report is part of the national strategy for digital development, which aims to support the digital transition of public services by exploiting the potential of AI to improve the quality of services offered to citizens and businesses.
In this regard, the minister noted that collaboration with UNESCO experts is of capital importance, particularly in the current context of strengthening the AI ecosystem in Morocco, whether through support for start-ups, the promotion of research and development, or the attraction of specialized international players, “with a view to becoming a major producer in this field”.
This conference represents a major step in the project “Harnessing the power of AI to promote equal opportunities in the digital world” and aims to serve as a forum for sharing and exchanging the results of the various consultations held throughout the project.
It is also an opportunity to share the recommendations and initiatives identified, constituting an important foundation in alignment with the national vision to exploit the full potential that AI could offer.
The said meeting is marked by two panels dealing with two themes, namely “the use of AI in the service of humans: what opportunities and challenges for Morocco by 2030?” and “the use of AI in the service of humans: what prospects for the future of AI in Morocco?”.
It should be noted that the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI remains the only globally accepted normative standard for AI ethics, adopted by 193 Member States in 2021, including Morocco.
2024-09-11 12:18:28