IFIP congratulates Professor Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Executive President of Ai movement and vice chair of IFIP WG12.12 (AI Governance) on the inauguration of its new building. The AI Dome at the Moroccan International Center for Artificial Intelligence, AI movement at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) was the venue for a conference on “Ethical & Responsible Artificial Intelligence: Challenges & Opportunities for Africa” from 9-11 November 2022.

The event brought together some of the most influential experts in artificial intelligence and representatives from the center’s leading national and international partners to discuss and promote the potential of AI and its ethical implications in Africa.  

The conference had the honour of hosting IFIP president, Anthony Wong, and was attended by many eminent speakers including: 

  • Dr Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, 
  • Leila Rhiwi, UN Women Representative in Morocco, 
  • Professor Adina Magda Florea, Vice-rector of the POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest, and 
  • Professor Shinichi Honiden, Director of the Research Center for Advanced Software Science and Engineering at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo.

The event also afforded the opportunity to sign a three-year strategic partnership between UNESCO, represented by Firmin Edouard Matoko, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations of UNESCO, and the  Ai movement Center which is focused on building capacities in the area of ethical and responsible AI by providing technical training, research, and policy recommendations for the continent.

Attendees also had the opportunity to explore the new facilities and gain insight into the progress by the center’s experts in developing AI technologies in computer vision, autonomous systems and robotics. These advancements showed the potential of AI to benefit Africa, such as promoting economic development, increasing efficiency and productivity, and providing better access to health care and education. It was also a reminder that these advancements come with ethical concerns such as privacy and data security, which must be addressed to ensure its responsible use.