In a recent development of events Morocco has started the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in courts across the North African Country. Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi iterated, “AI has introduced significant changes worldwide,” during the meeting of the Justice Committee in the House of Representatives.
The Moroccan Minister expressed that the ultimate goal of AI integration is to facilitate the work of lawyers and Judges. He elaborated on how the program would facilitate legal practitioners to locate and search through archives of legal documents and judicial rulings with better efficiency.
The Ministry is also on its way to drafting a law to regulate the use of AI in Morocco. The regulation will aim towards the protection of the privacy of individuals and the prevention of its breach, as is the case with social media in current times.
Morocco is gearing up to host a conference in September aimed at delving into global AI practices and setting up a legal framework for regulating AI, as reported by Ouahbi. Earlier this year, Morocco made headlines with the launch of two AI and digitalization schools in Taroudant and Berkane, marking a significant step forward in the country’s initiatives in this field.
The Rabat Consensus
Africa is already making strides in the use of AI and on Wednesday the first African high-level forum on Artificial intelligence took place in Sale, Northwestern Morocco and culminated in the establishment of the ‘Rabat Consensus’ on the applications of AI in Africa.
The jointly organized forum by UNESCO and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Morocco had the theme of “AI Technology: A Lever for Development in Africa”.
Africa must not miss the opportunities presented by AI, as it would play a huge role in promoting quality and equal education while preserving African culture and empowering the rights of African women. This was the major consensus amongst the delegates at the forum.
Morocco Leading The Charge In AI Usage And Governance
Morocco has shown active participation in the drafting of the very first UN resolution on AI called “Seizing opportunities for safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems for sustainable development”, which was initially co-sponsored by Morocco and the United States and later by 123 member states until the resolution was adopted on March 21, 2024, by UN. This shows Morocco’s commitment and interest towards the use of AI.
This commitment stems from the call for the development of new technologies as prompted by HM King Mohammed VI in his Throne speech on 30 July 2008. From then onwards initiatives that promote the use of AI in research & development have been undertaken with keen interest by the state.
The Moroccan delegation reiterates that the resolution serves as a cornerstone for global AI governance and Morocco plays an important role in it. This is supported by the founding of the “AI Movement” International Center for Artificial Intelligence at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), making it the first of its kind in Africa.
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