Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), chaired the second meeting of the Arab AI Working Group, held on October 28, via videoconference. Representatives from a number of Arab countries, the Arab Regional Office of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS) participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, the general perception of the structure of the unified Arab strategic vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) was discussed, to agree on the final form, and outline the strategy. The AI current position at the regional and international levels was also reviewed.

Some other topics were also discussed, including the significance of cooperation to create general frameworks for the AI indigenization and governance and the need to encourage innovation and investment in startups in the AI field to create the appropriate environment for the indigenization of this emerging technology in the Arab world, in line with the Arab cultural and historical identity.

It is worth noting that the Arab AI Group was formed by a decree issued by LAS Arab Telecommunications and Information Council of Ministers (ATICM) during its 23rd session, based on a proposal submitted by the Arab Republic of Egypt, for the need of the Arab world to agree on a common position and a unified plan of action in the AI field. The Arab AI Group held its first meeting on 15-16 February 2021, with the participation of 13 Arab countries. Egypt was selected as the Group Chair; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Palestine were selected as the vice-chair.