Egypt Hosts Landmark AI Everything Summit, Cementing Role as Regional Innovation Hub
Under the auspices of H.E. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Egypt hosted the inaugural “World of Artificial Intelligence – AI Everything Middle East and Africa” summit and exhibition. The event, held at the Egypt Center for International Exhibitions, brought together over 350 companies, global technology leaders, investors, and experts from more than 30 countries. Organized by the GITEX Global Network in strategic partnership with the Information Technology Industry Development Authority (ITIDA), the summit highlights Egypt’s ambition to become a regional hub for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, investment, and talent development.
AI as Central to National Development
Eng. Raafat Hindi, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, represented by Eng. Ahmed Al-Zaher, Executive President of ITIDA, emphasized that AI is central to Egypt’s national development strategy. The summit showcases the integration of AI across sectors, including healthcare, education, government services, translation, and early disease detection. Central to these efforts is Egypt’s national linguistic model “Karnak,” a state-of-the-art Arabic language model enabling startups and private-sector developers to build AI applications tailored to societal needs.
Strategic Focus Areas
- Intelligence: Building national AI capacities and culturally relevant models.
- Meaning: Developing applications to meet societal needs such as personalized tutoring and legal assistance tools.
- Governance: Integrating AI into public services to improve efficiency and citizen support.
- Availability: Expanding access to healthcare using AI-driven early detection systems.
- Abilities: Applying AI for practical services including machine translation and voice-to-text systems.
- Skills: Investing in human capital through AI training programs and language learning applications.
National AI Strategy
The summit featured Egypt’s National AI Strategy (2025–2030), which builds on prior achievements and positions AI as a driver of economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and foreign investment. The event included AI-focused training and certification programs via the AI Academy, startup competitions like AI MEA Supernova, and hackathons sponsored by major global companies to showcase AI’s practical impact across sectors including tourism, digital infrastructure, and smart cities.
Commitment to Ethical AI
The summit underscores Egypt’s commitment to ethical and responsible AI governance, the promotion of a knowledge-based economy, and the regional leadership role in AI development. Attendees included regional ministers, diplomats, private sector leaders, and technical experts, all engaging in networking, workshops, and investment-focused sessions aimed at strengthening collaboration across the Middle East and Africa.
Conclusion
Through this landmark summit, Egypt demonstrates that AI is not only a technological tool but a national strategic asset, designed to deliver tangible benefits to citizens, improve public services, and drive sustainable economic growth across the region.
