Bid to make Israel ‘a global superpower’

Israel’s National AI Directorate has held its first consultation with the country’s high-tech industry, as the government moves to establish a National Artificial Intelligence Institute and position Israel as a global leader in the field.

The meeting, held on Sunday, July 5, at the Industry House in Tel Aviv, was initiated by the Israeli High-Tech Association at the Manufacturers Association of Israel together with the National AI Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office. It followed the government’s approval of the National Artificial Intelligence Program and was the first in a planned series of consultations with the Israeli market.

The consultations aim to map the industry’s needs, identify strategic partners and explore collaborations ahead of the establishment of the National AI Institute. The broader national program includes providing access to advanced processing-power infrastructure and promoting AI solutions to address the everyday challenges of the state, the market and industry.

Eleven of Israel’s leading high-tech companies attended, including Oracle, HP, Check Point, Armis, Kaltura, Kyndryl, ELTA, Bynet, CodeValue and HPE. The companies stressed the importance of continuing the forum as an ongoing voice for the high-tech sector in its dealings with the directorate.

The meeting heard that the National Institute is expected to promote solutions across all layers of the technology stack, including cyber, physical AI, computing infrastructure, protected systems and advanced applications linking the digital and physical worlds. Organisers said the program’s vision was to turn Israel into a global superpower through the development, investment in and implementation of AI solutions, connecting real-world challenges with advanced technology to meet the needs of industry, the state and society.