10th Bahrain International eGovernment Forum Concludes with Focus on AI Reshaping Industries
This event, held under the patronage of His Excellency General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communication Technology (MCICT), took place at Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir. The central theme of the forum was "AI: Reshaping Industries."
Over 400 individuals participated in the sessions held on October 9th and 10th. An elite group of experts engaged in discussions covering a wide range of specialized topics related to artificial intelligence (AI). Concurrently, the technology exhibition, COMEX Bahrain 2023, continued until October 11th, running in parallel with the forum's workshops, which were presented in collaboration with Microsoft and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF).
The discussions during the sessions primarily focused on formulating a roadmap for the integration of AI into critical sectors in Bahrain, including education, healthcare, and various government domains. The role of the private sector in AI development was also a key topic of discussion, with particular emphasis on technical risks and the enhancement of cybersecurity in the implementation of AI technology.
Pilar De Miguel, Executive Partner at Gartner, delivered a keynote presentation titled 'Successful AI Implementation to Improve Quality of Life.' A corresponding panel, 'Redefining Customer Experience with AI,' featured insights from De Miguel, Dr. Hesham Al Ammal, Chair of BENEFIT Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Computing Lab at the University of Bahrain, and Ameen Altajer, CEO of INFINITEWARE.
Todd Schweitzer, Founder and CEO of Brankas, presented a keynote on 'How AI Supports Economic Development,' highlighting the adoption of AI in the UK, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia as a central element of their national strategies and recognizing the strong connection between AI adoption and economic growth. Following his presentation, Schweitzer joined a panel discussion, 'Shedding Light on AI and the Financial Ecosystem,' alongside Dr. Raymond Khoury, Senior Partner at Arthur D. Little, and Hessa Hussain, Assistant General Manager at Bahrain Credit Reference Bureau.
Saleh Al Nemer, CTO of HP Enterprise, delivered a presentation titled 'Applications of AI: Driving the Relationship between Technology, Data, and Business Value.' The day concluded with a panel on 'The Future of AI,' which featured insights from Al-Nemer, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Mahmood, Principal Researcher at TII and Board Member in the Robotics and Automation Society in the UAE, and Rami Esbai, Head of Modelling and Forecasting at Bapco Upstream.
The 10th edition of this forum attracted government officials, private sector representatives, IT professionals, and enthusiasts from various government, private, civil society, and academic institutions.