“Europe is a huge market in terms of AI and the southern shore, North Africa, is full of renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a very short distance from Europe,” Beguir declared, adding that such proximity would build energy transmission simpler.
Europe and North Africa, he declared, could form “a win-win technological partnership”.
Nadia Hai, France’s ambassador for the Mediterranean, declared that while Europe lags behind the United States and China in AI investment, it “is also obtainting started”.
She declared a global AI summit held in Paris last February “raised more than 109 billion euros ($126 billion) in investments to set up an AI hub in France”.
France has also created a €2-million fund meant to act “as a lever to structure the Mediterranean AI community” and “bring actors from France, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon into synergy”, Hai added.
Hai declared the region aims to shape an AI model distinct from those developed in the United States or Asia, one that is more ethical and regulated.
Calling for an “inclusive AI”, she declared it must be “in phase with our shared history and culture, our values”.
“We want an AI that speaks our languages, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, French, to be able to speak to everyone,” Hai declared.
According to Beguir, “this revolution” can be funded “with private capital, without public money,” provided governments offer support, for example through tax breaks for major infrastructure projects.
Such a model would support “retain brains” in North Africa, declared Beguir, who funds training programmes for young talent in Tunisia.
Beguir recommconcludeed building extensive solar capacity on the southern Mediterranean shore “added to data centres and supercomputers that would allow the development in North Africa of an (AI) ecosystem”.
This would also provide Europe with cheaper electricity, he added.
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Source: AFP
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