Interview: Cooperation between Egypt and China in Al "promising": expert

Source: Xinhua News Agency

CAIRO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation between Egypt and China in Al applications is "promising" to help the Arab country achieve digital transformation, as China is a leading innovator in the field, said Osama Abdel-Raouf, an Egyptian professor in AI.

Egypt has realized that AI is a key tech sector for economic development and modernization, and building an AI-based environment in the country requires a large number of young professionals in AI technology, the dean of Menoufia University's AI faculty said.

That is why Egypt has started to support the establishment of AI colleges at his university and Kafr El-Sheikh University in recent years, according to Abdel-Raouf.

Speaking of Egypt's digital transformation and relevant infrastructure, Abdel-Raouf stressed it is crucial to cooperate with China, a country that emerges from being the world's factory to a top innovator in AI and robotics.

"China is the only country that can provide any project with a fully intelligent environment in an integrated manner with all its elements connected and run by systematic AI programs," the professor stressed.

"During a visit to China four years ago, I noticed that one of the companies I visited has about 150,000 employees, half of whom work exclusively in the development," Abdel-Raouf noted.

So it is "natural" that China has filed a considerable share of global patent applications, he added.

He pointed out that China has also taken the lead in 5G and LED technology, and Chinese internet companies have applied AI technology in search engines and social media websites.

Cooperation between Egypt and China in Al applications is "promising" in light of China's advancement in digital transformation, smart agriculture, smart transportation, and other AI-based fields, he said.

The professor said foreign AI companies could learn from China by cooperating in building AI laboratories, programs and applications, as well as developing the Internet of Things.

He said China has achieved "impressive success" in developing and manufacturing robot arms, carving out a niche in the global market with quality products at competitive prices.

"The great advantage in China now is that it has become a place where you can get cutting-edge technology with highly competitive prices and abundant production," he pointed out.