'Like the Industrial Revolution': Netanyahu launches National Artificial Intelligence Program

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that artificial intelligence will usher in a new era, comparable to the Industrial Revolution, during the launch of Israel's National AI Program. The initiative aims to position Israel as a global leader in AI and enhance its economic standing.

Netanyahu stressed that AI is more than just a technological advancement; it will fundamentally alter lives for current and future generations. He cautioned that individuals and nations failing to keep pace with these evolving technologies risk being marginalized.

“

AI is not just another technology; it is going to change the world. It is going to change the lives of each and every one of us, of our children, and of generations to come. Quite a change is taking place, much like the Industrial Revolution.

The program's dual objectives are to establish Israel as a "global superpower" in artificial intelligence and to foster the nation's economic prosperity. This strategic focus builds on Israel's previous successes in fields like cyber technology, agriculture, and medical devices.

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Erez Eskel, head of the National AI Directorate, outlined the program's foundational elements. These include developing robust computing infrastructure, potentially including a national quantum computer, and crucially, nurturing the country's human capital, which he identified as the primary driver of progress in AI.

“

We are launching this program, which takes into account the distinct advantages of the State of Israel in the fields of cyber, physical AI, and solving life's problems with AI, while providing infrastructure for the needs of the country and the economy, whether that is Compute infrastructure, powerhouse computing capabilities that almost no countries currently possess, a national quantum computer, and addressing the central and most important issue, the human capital in the State of Israel, which is our true engine.