The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

You all probably remember the time when Sophia, a social humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based company, Hanson Robotics, came to visit Egypt. It made its first public appearance at South by Southwest Festival in mid-March 2016 in Austin, Texas. Since then, Sophia has participated in many high-profile interviews and been exposed to extensive global media. In 2017, Sophia became the first robot to receive citizenship of a country and the first non-human to be given a United Nations title. Needless to say, although it originally started and was designed a long time ago, the era of artificial intelligence (AI) is now stronger and more popular than ever.

With its current modernisation revolution, Egypt is always keen on keeping itself up-to-date with the rest of the world as much as it possibly can, so it came as no surprise when we found out that AI was being integrated into the Egyptian curriculum. If you haven’t heard about it yet, don’t be surprised, because it was just announced two days ago by Egypt Today. According to the news source, the first Artificial Intelligence faculty in Egypt was inaugurated in Kafr El-Sheikh University, awaiting the new class of 2019/2020 to produce skilled labour in the sector of smart systems, thanks to a collaboration with UAE’S Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU). 

For those who don’t know, HBMSU is the first e-University in the United Arab Emirates, which was inaugurated in February 2009, by His Royal Highness, the President of the University and the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The institution follows a blended learning methodology, where different delivery techniques are combined to deliver a particular course, including face-to-face classrooms, online classrooms, and self-paced learning. The university is based on the “Lifelong Learning” model that provides all of its professional programmes through certification routes to progress through a career path in multiple sectors.

The details that we know so far are that the faculty offers a bachelor degree in Industrial Sciences, after a study period of 4 years. In terms of curriculum, President of Kafr El-Sheikh University, Maged El-Kamary, clarified that the university seeks to introduce modern specialisations, including nanotechnology, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and human development. Moreover, new teaching methods will be implemented that are interactive and reliant on digital technology.

Egypt targets that AI composes 7.7 per cent of its GDP in 2030. With the extraordinary potential and achievements of today’s young generations, we hope and predict that this target will be accomplished successfully.