The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Building Trust
For years, the race for artificial intelligence has been summarized as a competition for performance: more powerful, faster, and more accurate models. However, as AI becomes increasingly prevalent in businesses, another question becomes central: can we really trust it?
According to Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa, an international expert in artificial intelligence and former research director at INRIA, this question is now the real challenge for the next decade. After contributing to the development of international principles for trustworthy AI for the European Commission and the OECD, she defends a strong conviction: the future of artificial intelligence will no longer depend only on its performance, but on its ability to inspire trust.
Trust: A New Factor in Competitiveness
The debate on AI is often presented from an ethical perspective. For Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa, this approach is necessary but insufficient. "Trustworthy AI is not just a matter of ethics, it's also a business issue." This distinction profoundly changes the way companies should approach their AI projects. An algorithm that can achieve excellent results in a demonstration is not necessarily a good algorithm. If its decisions are not reproducible, if its behavior varies without explanation, or if no one really understands why it produces one result rather than another, it becomes a source of risk. The problem is no longer philosophical, it's economic. An algorithmic error can today lead to financial losses, a reputation crisis, or even engage the legal responsibility of a company. In this context, trust becomes a strategic asset.
From Fundamental Research to International Standards
This vision is the result of a unique career path, built at the crossroads of science, research, and industry. Trained in physics at the Faculty of Sciences in Tunis, Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa then oriented her work towards medical imaging, before dedicating over twenty years to research at INRIA. She directed research teams and participated in the creation of the DATAIA institute, one of the first interdisciplinary institutes dedicated to artificial intelligence. Her expertise led her to co-chair the high-level expert group of the European Commission responsible for writing the first guidelines on trustworthy AI. A few months later, the OECD entrusted her with leading the international group responsible for defining the principles of trustworthy AI adopted by member countries. These recommendations served as a reference for the work of the G20 and UNESCO. At a time when generative artificial intelligence had not yet disrupted the global landscape, this work posed a question that has become unavoidable: how to build systems that citizens, businesses, and governments can really trust?
Responsible AI Cannot Be Decreed
One of Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa's most striking messages is that principles are not enough. Ethical charters have multiplied in recent years, but many remain documents of intention without real operational translation. For her, a company that deploys artificial intelligence must put in place real governance. This governance starts with the quality of the data used to train models. It continues with the control of algorithms, their robustness, reproducibility, and transparency. It also includes cybersecurity, risk management, and the ability to audit decisions made by systems. In other words, trust is not added afterwards, it is built from the design stage.
Why Investors Should Look at AI Differently
This reflection goes beyond IT departments. According to Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa, investors should now integrate a company's ability to develop trustworthy AI into their due diligence criteria. This idea is still not widespread, but two companies using the same AI models can present radically different levels of risk. One company masters its data, documents its models, controls its biases, and has clear governance. The other accumulates tools without a real strategy. In the long term, these two situations do not present the same potential for value creation. Trust becomes an indicator of technological maturity as well as a factor in competitiveness.
From Theory to Industry
After contributing to the definition of international principles, Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa wanted to confront them with the reality of the field. She joined Médian Technologies, where she directed an activity dedicated to applied artificial intelligence in oncology. Then, IKEA entrusted her with creating its global "Digital Ethics and Trustworthy AI" team. The objective was no longer to write recommendations, but to transform them into concrete processes integrated into the company's decisions. She then pursued this approach at Decathlon, as Vice-President in charge of Trust Innovation.
Expertise Now Focused on SMEs
Today, as an independent consultant and administrator of several boards of directors, Nozha Ben Hajel Boujemaa accompanies organizations in defining their artificial intelligence strategy. Among her missions is the support of international groups and Tunisian companies, with the aim of contributing to the development of a national ecosystem capable of integrating international standards for trustworthy AI. For her, the countries that will succeed will not be only those that develop the best algorithms, but those that know how to establish a climate of trust between technology, businesses, investors, and citizens.
Training Minds Capable of Deciding
Her perspective finally goes beyond the technological question. In an era where artificial intelligence makes information available in a few seconds, she believes that value no longer lies in the accumulation of knowledge. "I prefer well-trained brains to well-filled brains." This phrase summarizes her philosophy. Mathematics develops the rigor of reasoning, physics teaches how to interpret the world, and curiosity, perseverance, and critical thinking allow us to transform knowledge into decisions. In an economy where machines produce answers, the true human competence consists more and more in asking the right questions.
The Next AI Revolution: Trust
Artificial intelligence has entered a new phase of maturity. After the race for power comes the race for reliability. Companies that can demonstrate that their systems are robust, transparent, secure, and governed will have a lasting competitive advantage. Trustworthy AI is no longer a topic reserved for researchers or regulators, it becomes a strategic imperative for leaders, investors, and boards of directors. In this new economy of artificial intelligence, technology will no longer be judged solely on what it can do, but on the trust it inspires.
