أشرف الشيحى: الذكاء الاصطناعى لا يمثل نقط تحدي كبيرة لنا ولكنه يمثل فرصا لا مثيل لها

– Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama Artificial intelligence contributes to improving productivity

The launch of the activities of the eighth edition of the International Conference of the Strategic Forum, entitled (Drivers of Industrial Development in the World of Artificial Intelligence), sponsored by the Ministries of Communications, Information Technology, Planning, International Cooperation, and Environment, in cooperation with the Association of Arab Universities, the Arab Organization for Industrialization, and the Industrial Development Authority. The conference’s guest of honor was Dr. Siddiq Afifi.
The conference was opened by a number of ministers, where Dr. Ashraf Al-Shehhi, the honorary president of the conference and former Minister of Higher Education, spoke that we live in a time full of rapid changes and developments.

Artificial intelligence not only represents major challenges for us, but it also represents unparalleled opportunities that must be exploited and benefited from. We need to work together to develop a comprehensive framework that governs the use of this technology and ensures maximum benefit from it. The slogan of our forum today is “With impossible artificial intelligence, nothing is possible,” which reflects our great ambition to exploit this revolutionary technology to overcome challenges and achieve unprecedented achievements. It also confirms our confidence in our abilities and capabilities.

Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities, stated in his recorded speech that artificial intelligence contributes to improving productivity, reducing costs, enhancing the quality of products, and enhancing the ability to innovate. The applications of artificial intelligence are clearly visible in global industries, as estimates indicate the possibility of adding more than $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030. For example, artificial intelligence technologies helped Tesla improve the production efficiency of self-driving cars by 30%, while Siemens reduced energy consumption by 25% through manufacturing systems. Smart.

GE also saved about $1 billion annually through predictive maintenance technologies, and BMW achieved a 30% improvement in productivity using AI-powered robots. Despite the great benefits of artificial intelligence applications, the industry faces several challenges, most notably the lack of digital infrastructure in many countries, especially developing countries, which requires huge investments to develop it – and the lack of specialized competencies, as estimates indicate that about 75% of industries globally suffer from a severe shortage in The skills needed to operate artificial intelligence technologies. In addition, high costs are an obstacle for small and medium-sized companies, along with growing concerns about privacy and cybersecurity. In the face of these challenges, international and Arab universities play a pivotal role in supporting industrial transformations through artificial intelligence. In global universities, institutions such as Stanford University and the Technical University of Munich have led many innovations that have enhanced AI applications in industry.

On the Arab level, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology represents a pioneering model through its projects focusing on smart industries, while Mohammed VI University in Morocco launched programs based on artificial intelligence to improve agricultural and industrial production.
While Eng. Osama Kamal, the former Minister of Petroleum, said that digital transformation contributed to the creation of many maps and advanced industrial cities that are connected to the Internet to each other, through which smart factories linked to sensors connected to the Internet appear, which in turn detect faults before they occur, and the factories’ use of software Modern technologies support the manufacturing and production process, such as accounting programs, ERP programs, or maintenance programs, which in turn automate the documentary cycle within the factory and help complete the stages of the production process in a way that reduces the waste of inputs. Production from raw materials, which maximizes revenues and reduces production costs.
Dr. Alaa Rizk, Chairman of the Conference, thanked the success partners and said that the most important goals of the conference are to achieve a place and status for industrial development at the national level to achieve the dream of advancing Egyptian industry in light of the concept of artificial intelligence as one of the main engines that represents an essential role in Egypt’s economic footprint, which is linked to sustainability through the most important channels, efficiency. Reducing resource consumption, as well as supporting the real economy by investing in infrastructure and modern industries, developing competitiveness, as well as enhancing the performance of the circular economy, which encourages the development of clean technology. Emphasizing the importance of artificial intelligence as one of the most important drivers of industrial development in Egypt and its ability to accelerate Egyptian industrial growth. Developing a plan based on increasing Egypt’s industrial export revenues from 62% of total non-oil merchandise exports to 75% during the next year, and benefiting from about 147 diverse industrial bases. In various geographical regions of Egypt to ensure alleviation of structural imbalances in the trade balance. And to develop future plans to encourage increased local manufacturing and the establishment of integrated industrial zones attached to advanced technological schools and colleges as a beginning towards launching new clusters. Industrial.
Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, also spoke, and Dr. Hisham Farouk spoke on his behalf, the importance of artificial intelligence in developing various industries.
The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, also participated, and Assistant Minister Tamer Taha spoke on her behalf.
While Dr. Obada Sarhan, Assistant Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, said, “The Association of Arab Universities contributes to promoting artificial intelligence and scientific research in the Arab region through prominent partnerships such as cooperation with the Chinese Center for Technology Transfer. The Union, in cooperation with leading Arab institutions, launched its first edition of the Arab Universities Classification.” In December 2023, with the aim of enhancing quality and accountability in higher education, its second edition will be released next month. The Union also established the “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Center” at Ajloun National University to promote the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and support innovation and development in education and research on At the national and Arab levels and providing distinguished and innovative educational programs that enable students to acquire the necessary skills to meet future challenges and ensure the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence. >

Representative Mahmoud Sami Al-Imam, a member of the Senate, said that in light of the rapid global transformations, the world is witnessing a new industrial revolution that relies primarily on artificial intelligence, which has become a major engine for industrial development, achieving digital transformation, and enhancing efficiency and creativity in various sectors. Today we are facing a new era known as “Industry 5.0”, where artificial intelligence combines with human creativity to achieve sustainable and comprehensive development. The volume of investments in the field of technology is huge and amounts to 150 trillion dollars, which is a very huge budget, so attention must be paid to introducing artificial intelligence seriously in order to achieve The desired renaissance is the most important thing, and it is a question I asked: Why artificial intelligence, because it achieves a developmental and economic renaissance, and the topic is large, and we enter into linking industrial development with artificial intelligence, so we take it seriously.
On the other hand, Dr. Samia Abu Al-Nasr, Secretary-General of the Conference, said:
Our conference today comes within the framework of the celebration of the Forum Association, this association that was born a giant and which we are celebrating this year, the 10th anniversary of its founding. Despite the limited capabilities, it was able to carve its name and become one of the most important global houses of expertise in the field of planning and strategic thinking. The title of the conference came as an emanation of the importance of the industry as well as The importance of artificial intelligence, which is one of the most important drivers of industrial development…
It is also an embodiment of cooperation between the three pillars of development represented by the state ministries partnering with us, namely the Ministries of Communications, Environment, Planning and International Cooperation, as well as the Arab Organization for Industrialization and the Industrial Development Authority, and between the partner entities from the private sector (the sponsors of the conference) who work side by side for the advancement of our beloved country, and we are an association. The Strategic Forum is one of the civil society organizations in Egypt, which bears the slogan of strategic thought for building society, and whose membership includes men and women from the best of Egyptian society, experts in economics, politics, media, and strategy. Among the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate…
This conference raises the slogan “Made in Egypt” and reviews how Egyptian industrial development contributes to shaping the national economy and attracting the world’s attention to Egypt’s productive strength and highlighting the development of Egyptian industry and its competitive ability. Dr. Hani Al-Nakrashi, member of the Scientific Advisory Council, also participated in the opening of the conference. To the President of the Republic from Germany, he spoke about the energy future for our children and the importance of using new and renewable energy to generate electricity, which in turn leads to achieving industrial development. Ambassador Dr. Suha Gendy, the former Minister of Immigration, also spoke 14 million Egyptians are immigrants abroad, and a large number of them are technical workers and specialists in all forms of science and technology, including our children studying abroad. We have cadres who can compete, and the message has arrived with conclusive evidence. And a note: I was a minister during the Cop 27 session, and the ministries tried to participate and its relationship with the executive authority. We have a number of Scientists and thinkers, and there was a Messi Center for our children studying abroad, and the importance of benefiting from artificial intelligence to reach immigrants outside Egypt and to reach everything It has to do with digital transformation and that we are not sitting in the driver’s seat and that we are conscious and keen to use all our distinguished cadres in this field. The experience of technical education and international cooperation is very important for expansion in this framework. She said that we need more international cooperation in the field of technical education.
• Engineer Amani Arafa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delta Sand Bricks, also spoke about the challenges facing the industrial sector, such as modernizing factories that requires easy financing for the industry. Banks and financing agencies actually help manufacturers to provide the necessary financing to develop their products.
Dr. Siddiq Afifi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thebes Academy, participated in the conference sessions and spoke about the keys to Egypt’s renaissance, and Dr. Ibrahim Fawzi, the former Minister of Industry, spoke about industry and future prospects. The conference also enjoyed wide international participation, as a number of ambassadors of Arab and European countries participated in it in Cairo, where Saad Al-Qurun, Secretary, participated. Second, Embassy of Qatar, Ishraq Obaid, Director of the Economic and Cultural Affairs Department at the Saudi Embassy, ​​and Annalisa Wagner, Educational Attaché at the Embassy of Italy (Egyptian-Italian cooperation in the field of technical education, Don Pesco As a model) and representatives from the General Union of Universities, where Tariq Abdel Fattah, Head of the Large Companies Sector at the Agricultural Bank, participated. Engineer Mukhtar Abdel Latif, President of the Arab Organization for Industrialization, also participated, and Eng. Ashraf Khalil spoke on his behalf. The Industrial Development Authority also participated with a delegation that included Brigadier General Ihab Al-Qattan, Head of the Digital Transformation Department at the Authority. Industrial development and talked about Egypt’s industrial platform.