The Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Hala Al-Askari, participated in the Fourth Annual Iraqi Forum on Artificial Intelligence, held in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Arab Federation of Scientific Research Councils, the Director of the UNESCO Office in Iraq, and a number of university presidents.
In his address, Dr. Al-Askari emphasized that the accelerating growth rates in the field of artificial intelligence have placed Iraqi universities before an unavoidable imperative: to integrate modern technological applications within a digital institutional environment capable of governing its procedures, enhancing its capacity to diagnose challenges, address problems, and formulate innovative solutions.
He called for leveraging such scientific events and transforming their outcomes into effective programs that support the trajectory of academic modernization, entrench a culture of quality assurance and accreditation, elevate the scientific infrastructure responsible for developing human capacities, and enable higher education institutions in Iraq to fulfill their mission and advance their teaching environments.
The Acting Minister further underscored the necessity of dispelling concerns related to the potential dominance of emerging technologies by consolidating human, ethical, and legislative values; confronting contemporary challenges with innovative solutions; safeguarding information and data; and harnessing artificial intelligence in areas such as special needs education, translation, data analysis, and future trend forecasting—while ensuring the strategic positioning of Iraqi universities within the advanced international context.
The forum also featured addresses by the President of the University of Information Technology and Communications, Dr. Abbas Al-Bakri; the Secretary-General of the Arab Federation of Scientific Research Councils, Dr. Abdul-Majeed Ben Amara; and the Director of the UNESCO Office in Iraq, Mr. Alexandros Makarigakis. Their remarks highlighted the importance of employing artificial intelligence in the service of sustainable development and in alignment with universal ethical values.
The forum included panel discussions held within the framework of the Fourth Annual Iraqi Forum on Artificial Intelligence, which took place at the University of Information Technology and Communications in cooperation with Al-Mustaqbal University. The event concluded with the announcement of the results of the National Artificial Intelligence Developers Competition and the honoring of the winners.
