Tunisia, and as attested by the 14th of January Revolution, missed all three industrial revolutions and is poised today, within a challenging democratic transition context, to brave the odds and regain the control of its destiny and renew with sustainable development, socio-political stability, and equitable prosperity. To achieve this challenge, Tunisia has to join the international AI race by aligning its strategies with the global megatrend, and embrace, entre autres, the changes unleashed by digitization, big data, and AI.

1. National AI Strategy:
Unlocking Tunisia’s capabilities potential
Framework, Methodology & Action Plan
On behalf of the AITF-SC
Prof. Jelel Ezzine
AITF-SC Scientific Coordinator
Tunisia, April 20th, 2018
ENIT
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2. Outline
1. The clarion call
2. A forward looking and contextualized AI Strategy
3. Joining the AI race: Opportunities and challenges
4. Full steam ahead: Framework and methodology
5. Action plan
6. … a debut of solution.
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3. The clarion call
“Whoever becomes the leader in
this sphere [AI] will become the
ruler of the world.” – Vladimir Putin
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4. The clarion call
The AI revolution goes beyond technology!
• AI to produce a global GDP impact of $15.7 T by 2030
• Composed of 60% consumption & 40% productivity
• AI to add 1.2% - 2% to gross value added (GVA) to
G20 economies in 2035
• AI strategies (2017 ): USA, China, Japan, United
Kingdom, Germany, & UAE
• Other countries are making progress: Canada,
Finland, France, India, Iran, Pakistan … & Tunisia!
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5. A forward looking and contextualized
AI Strategy
This ambitious collective endeavor and similar ones should:
• Spark a scientific, technological and industrial revolution
reminiscent of the People’s Revolution,
• Reboot Tunisia’s socio-economic development through a smart re-
industrialization focused on social impact rather than on impact
factors, and
• Advocate mission oriented innovation and industrial policies to help
Tunisia advance and gain a regional and global foothold in
promising and high value added industrial and service niches.
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6. AI-Strategy conceptual pyramid
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7. High potential to join the AI race:
Opportunities and challenges
• pre-revolution Tunisia saw its GDP grow by 3.5%
annually during the 2008-2010
• resulting in a GDP per capita of EUR 3.310 in 2011,
and
• 51% (45% Services, 10% TIC) contribution to the GDP
from export
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8. High potential to join the AI race:
Opportunities and challenges
Tunisia was found in 2008 to:
• Display the highest economic complexity in Africa
• Rank 47th worldwide as measured by the ECI
• Have a relatively low rank 80 in income per capita
Giving it a considerable rapid
catching up potential.
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9. High potential to join the AI race:
Opportunities and challenges
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Network readiness framework
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

10. High potential to join the AI race:
Opportunities and challenges
• Affordability is the only pillar where Tunisia, with
Morocco, perform better than the remaining benchmark
countries,
• Infrastructure is the only pillar where Tunisia
outperforms the two Arab benchmark countries. As to
the skills pillar Tunisia is outperformed by all benchmark
countries but Morocco,
• For the remaining seven pillars Tunisia is outperformed
by the five benchmark countries besides the Economic
impact one where it is last with Morocco.
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11. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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• Learning Societies (LS) thrive in
• Knowledge Economies (KE) capable of
creating, disseminating, and using knowledge
through a viable National Innovation System
(NIS) where
• productivity is achieved through
• Learning-by-Doing!
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

12. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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Economic complexity and opportunity value analysis, 2010
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

13. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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• ECI doesn’t measure the complexity of an economy only, it
also
• Suggests development pathways making of it a practical
roadmap for
• Smart reindustrialization.
• Given Tunisia’s comparative low income level relative to its
economic complexity, it
• Could leap-frog its simple types of manufacturing to focus
on more advanced products aided, entre autres, by a
vibrant and mission-oriented AI-ecosystem.
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

14. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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International AI innovation literature revealed that the
simplest conceptual model could be based on three main
pillars:
1. Seedbed: R&D, Data, and TIC infrastructure
2. Talents: Capacity mobilization and enhancement, and
3. Enablers: Multi-stakeholders partnerships and policy
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

15. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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AI three-pillars ecosystem
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

16. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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Three-Horizons thinking applied to the transition to the desired AI-ecosystem
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

17. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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Three types of Innovation are required:
1. Catching-up: Narrow the gap vis-à-vis leader
countries
2. Inclusive: Target directly the needs of low-income
population, and
3. Leapfrogging: Skipping inferior, less efficient, etc.
technologies and move directly to more advanced
ones.
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

18. Full steam ahead:
Framework and methodology
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3X3 AI National Strategy Conceptual Space
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

19. Proposed Action Plan
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Strategic Objectives:
1. Complete package of systemic policy, funding programs and
activities must be put in place in order to establish Tunisia as a
regional lead market and provider of AI solutions by 2030,
2. Actions oriented to major priority areas, rather than to specific
technologies and research programs, and
3. Needs-driven application-oriented strategic cooperation flagship
projects between Science, Industry and State where industry
partners participate in the financial cost.
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

20. Proposed Action Plan:
Thematic Work Groups (TWGs)
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1. R&D in Data Sciences and AI (DS&AI): capabilities,
capacities and activities,
2. Capacity building in DS&AI, open-source resources
and related SHS fields,
3. SMEs and Start-ups in DS&AI and related industries
and service activities,
4. Digitization and DS&AI readiness and
corrective/enabling policies,
5. Regional and international, benchmarking and
cooperation as a lever for DS&AI rapid development.
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

21. Proposed Action Plan:
Multi-Stakeholders Partnerships Work Groups
(MPWGs)
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1. Public health and pharmaceutical industry,
2. Water-energy-food (WEF) nexus,
3. Banking, finance and insurance sector,
4. e-government and e-business issues and
challenges,
5. AI and Arabic/Tunisian language processing.
National AI-Strategy (AITF-SC)

22. Objectives Tasks Time Frame Resources
1-Collecting feedback
and contributions
Reporters’ notes + April 27, 2018 Two reporters from
AITF-SC
2- Updating the
presentation
Introducing the
needed changes
April 30,2018 AITF-SC
3- Finalizing the AI
Strategy Concept
Paper (AISCP)
Writing the final
document
May 15, 2018 AITF-SC
4- Constituting the
Work Groups (WG)
Identify and secure
agreement of
members, share
AISCP.
May 21, 2018 SS, ANPR, AITF, AITF-
SC, +
5- Meeting with all
WGs to launch the
process
Workshop: Discuss
and finalize detailed
action plans for each
WG.
June 2, 2018 AITF-SC + WG
members
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23. Objectives Tasks Time Frame Resources
6- Restitution of draft
reports
Workshop:
discussion,
harmonization and
alignment with AISCP
August 4, 2018 AITF-SC + WG
members
7- Submitting final
reports
Sending final report. August 18, 2018 WGs leaders.
8- Printing WGs
contributions booklet
Reviewing, editing
and finalizing booklet
September 22, 2018 AITF, AITF-SC, ANPR,
WGs leaders
9- Diffusing and
informing
stakeholders
Workshop to present
and discuss Booklet
September 29, 2018 SS, AITF, AITF-SC,
ANPR, WGs, Partners
and Stakeholders
10- Announcing and
make public the
National AI Strategy.
National conference January 12, 2019 SS, AITF, AITF-SC,
ANPR, WGs, Partners
and Stakeholders
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Thanks!