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.

Shahar Bracha, deputy director of the National AI Directorate, said the body was formulating a model for implementing the program and consulting across the Israeli market.

“The purpose of these consultations is to understand the needs on the ground, find business partners, and together build a national infrastructure that will enable Israel to grow, lead and operate in the global market,” he said. “Our vision is to bring AI face-to-face with the challenges of life itself and make Israel the most attractive place in the world for connecting real challenges with AI-based solutions.”

Alon Ben-Zur, chairman of the Israeli High-Tech Association and chief executive of Bynet Data Communications, said the state and industry needed to work together to keep Israel at the global forefront of AI.

“We welcome the move led by Shahar Bracha and the National AI Directorate team, and the decision to involve the industry as early as the program’s formulation and the establishment of the National AI Institute,” he said.

“Israeli high-tech companies possess world-class knowledge, experience and execution capabilities, and we see great importance in creating a true, ongoing partnership that will translate these advantages into growth, innovation and solutions that will impact the economy and the lives of citizens.”