House Speaker attends conference on impact of technology, innovation on economic growth

Amman: The significant advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the resulting global revolution necessitate that the Arab region consider all options for catching up with developed countries, such as addressing any legislative gaps, investing in Arab data, and creating a special feature for it on various search engines, Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi said on Saturday. Speaking at a conference on the impact of technology and innovation in promoting the Arab economy's growth, Safadi underlined the significance of stepping up Arab efforts to formulate precise plans and strategies to address the effects of AI on employment prospects and the creation of information tools that allow future generations to stay up to date with the rapid advancements in this field. He pointed out that AI poses a significant challenge on the one hand and an opportunity for governments and the private sector to promote digitalization on the other hand, by taking effective measures towards investing in the digital economy and implementing this development in numerous domains. He called for accelerating rather than slowing down the pace in order to gain a footing in the midst of the world's rapid development. He said that catching up with the developed countries in the AI sector requires taking a set of steps, on top of which is encouraging and developing educational programs and transferring them from traditional to modern, whether in schools or universities, establishing institutes, universities, and information centers specialized in AI, developing the Arabic language on AI systems, attracting investments, and establishing advanced laboratories and research centers. The conference, organized by the Al Yasmeen Foundation, was attended by Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel Al-Asomi, Minister of Transport, Wissam Tahtahmouni, Secretary General of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Samira Al-Zoubi, MP Khaled Abu Hassan, Chairman of the Arab Working Group for Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation in the Arab Parliament, and MP Khair Abu Saileik. Source: Jordan News Agency