In a recorded broadcast during an IBM seminar on generative artificial intelligence and its impact on institutional development, Amr Talaat, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said that the state has launched several initiatives to develop infrastructure and data governance. He also said that the state is collaborating with global companies on various projects to support startups and build digital capabilities across the republic.
Khaled El-Attar, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Administrative Development and Digital Transformation, said that the Ministry of Communications is working on regulating and developing a supportive environment for artificial intelligence while ensuring the protection of stakeholders and achieving governance. He said that efforts are currently underway to draft legislation regulating data usage, invest in human resources, increase Egyptians’ participation in outsourcing, develop ethical codes for artificial intelligence, and implement several pilot projects for the application of artificial intelligence in the judiciary and other service sectors in the country.
Marwa Abbas, General Manager of IBM Egypt, said that the company collaborates with all sectors of the state, including the banking, petroleum, and telecommunications sectors, among others, to enhance the efficiency of young software professionals and outsourcing services.
Abbas emphasized that the current period witnesses a growth in reliance on generative artificial intelligence in various sectors to accelerate business processes efficiently, automate services, increase economic returns, and support decision-makers with reliable data.
She said that IBM launched the IBM WatsonX platform last May, representing the company’s technological expertise to maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence. She said that there are over 100 million users of the platform supporting digital transformation in companies, governments, and the development of business and service systems.
Saad Toma, General Manager of IBM for the Middle East and Africa, discussed the open innovation platform WatsonX, designed to work with reliable data. He said that it consists of three platforms: WatsonX.ai, WatsonX.data, and WatsonX.governance, all geared towards commercial use and empowering innovators in the field of artificial intelligence. He said that there are currently about 1000 trial programs running on WatsonX, including programs supporting human resources sectors, customer relationship management, and application updates.
Ahmed Tantawi, Advisor to the Minister of Communications and Head of the Applied Innovation Center affiliated with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, discussed the stages of artificial intelligence development, which began in the 1950s with data processing and evolved over decades to include software capabilities for prediction, forecasting, and decision support. He noted that the current challenge lies in developing artificial intelligence languages to minimize errors and achieve reliable applications.
According to a study conducted by IBM with its clients, approximately 42% of the surveyed institutions effectively utilize artificial intelligence in their operations.
