Mediterranean AI Forum: Strengthening Cooperation between France and Tunisia
During the second edition of the Mediterranean AI Forum held in Tunis, French Ambassador to Tunisia, Anne Gueguen, highlighted the advancements and priorities for reinforcing cooperation between the two Mediterranean shores. She expressed her satisfaction with the event's success, emphasizing that each participant contributed to its achievement in their own way.
Key Announcements and Initiatives
One of the major announcements during the closing ceremony was the launch of a portal dedicated to guiding actors in the French-Tunisian economic relationship. According to Anne Gueguen, this portal will also serve the AI sector, enabling companies to navigate various financing tools, recruitment opportunities, and types of support. The portal will feature an integrated generative AI chatbox to facilitate access to information.
Priorities for AI Development in the Mediterranean
The Ambassador outlined three key priorities for AI development in the Mediterranean:
- Establishing an Ethical and Regulatory Framework: Ensuring that AI is inclusive, sustainable, and serves the common good. She praised the young talents who participated in the hackathon, working towards this goal for healthcare and education. Gueguen also stressed the importance of governments providing public interest data to enable innovators to create solutions tailored to regional challenges and develop modern, digitized public services.
- Training and Retaining Talent: The Mediterranean, particularly Tunisia, boasts numerous quality skills and institutions, such as the Higher Institute of Digital Technology in Tunis, Novation City in Sousse, and the Sfax technopole. However, Gueguen warned about the risk of brain drain if the research and innovation ecosystem fails to offer prospects that match the talents' skills.
- Cooperation and Partnership Development: To remain competitive while preserving sovereignty, it is essential to create collaborations between governments, investors, and entrepreneurs, ensuring that investments have a significant impact, which Gueguen described as a "game changer."
These priorities and initiatives aim to strengthen the cooperation between France and Tunisia, fostering a thriving AI ecosystem in the Mediterranean region.
