On November 9, the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, based in Rabat, inaugurated the International Center for Artificial Intelligence. The first of its kind in Morocco and named “Ai mouvement”, this center is housed under the dome of the University and is one of the most important on the African continent.

An international conference for this inauguration

Prof. Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni has 30 years of international experience and has already led a research team in artificial intelligence at the Sorbonne University. She led the opening of the doors of this innovative center. She hopes that this dome will continue to build a network of cooperation and partnerships with other centers of excellence in order to benefit from a wide range of expertise.

On the sidelines of the inauguration was a prize-giving ceremony on behalf of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) for students who used artificial intelligence as part of the hackathon “AI for women’s empowerment and gender equality”. This initiative was organized by Ai-Mouvement-UM6P in partnership with UN Women Morocco.

An international conference is also being held on the theme “Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Responsibility: Challenges and Opportunities for Africa”. It takes place at the Rabat-Technopolis campus from November 9 to 11, 2022.

A Center for Morocco and Africa

According to Prof. Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, executive president of “Ai-mouvement-UM6P”, the International Center for Artificial Intelligence aims to ” stimulate the necessary debates for the emergence of a responsible and ethical artificial intelligence in Africa” . The Professor also insists that the inauguration of this place will allow UM6P ” to establish a national and continental hub, capable of stimulating partnerships, synergies and scientific productions that will position Africa in this field “.

According to Hicham El Habti, President of UM6P, although artificial intelligence is a global issue, its applications involve concerns, particularly in sustainable development. Thus, Morocco and Africa as a whole must consider existential questions about the impact that artificial intelligence could have on national and continental economies and societies.

Since the term “AI” was first used, its uses have evolved significantly. Pervasive and ubiquitous in its development, artificial intelligence impacts all sectors of activity, and thus goes far beyond the “simple” framework of technology capable of reproducing human cognitive processes.

UM6P pioneers the development of AI in Africa

During the conference on ethical and responsible artificial intelligence, it was notably defended the idea that AI in Africa is “an opportunity for leapfrogging to put the continent on the tracks of technological development” . Leapfrogging is a concept that implies that a company becomes a leader in its field through small but incremental innovations.

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is one of the pioneers in the exchanges with UNESCO concerning AI and its role as a lever for development in Africa. You can find the video of the inauguration of the International Center for Artificial Intelligence in Morocco in the presentation of this article or via this link .

Translated from Le Maroc inaugure son Centre international de l’intelligence artificielle