On the 4th of February, 2024, at the Access to Knowledge for Development Center’s (A2K4D) Fourteenth Anniversary Workshop, the MENA AI Observatory was soft-launched by A2K4D in partnership with the Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at BZU, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The locally-driven platform, which aims to make key contributions to the global discourse on responsible data and AI, was introduced to workshop participants and attendees. The Observatory will serve as a regional hub championing MENA voices, providing varied resources in both English and Arabic, and will foster a collaborative network of AI researchers, legal experts and advocates, policy-makers, civil society, and the general public.

The MENA AI Observatory: Launch Event

The launch of the  MENA AI Observatory took place during the session titled: “Governing Responsible AI & Data in the Middle East and North Africa: Launch of The MENA AI Observatory”. The session began with Dr. Nagla Rizk (A2K4D) introducing the research component of the ‘Governing Responsible AI & Data in the Middle East and North Africa,’ project, whose main objective  is to “strengthen the development, deployment and governance of responsible AI and data in the MENA region through knowledge creation, networking, policy and regulatory support, interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity development, to position the region as a leader in responsible AI and data globally.” Dr. Marwan Tarazi (CCE) then introduced the capacity building component of the project, emphasizing that one key problem in the region is a lack of the necessary capacities to respond to the fast-paced development of AI. Following was an explanation of the applied AI learning journey undertaken by CCE, whereby domain experts and techies collaborated over the span of 6-9 months. Dr. Marwan also announced the development of an AI-driven educational platform and app called “Eyab.”

Alia Shaddad from A2K4D then introduced the MENA AI Observatory, explaining that the platform is still a work in progress and evolving according to solicited insights and feedback. Alia highlighted the current efforts to mirror the platform in Arabic and to publish more Arabic content. Following that was a live walk-through of the platform, exploring the different sections, including the homepage (including the MENA map, the featured section, the Gender and AI section, and the video series section titled ‘Aswat: Voices From MENA’), the about us page, the knowledge hub and the different country profile pages, the community section, the posts section, and finally the collaborate section.

The MENA AI Observatory

The MENA AI Observatory aims to serve as a knowledge resource, a networking hub, and a catalyst for change. By creating this vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive platform, the Observatory provides a space for complex engagement with themes relating to responsible data and AI in the region, hence highlighting relevant local narratives pushing for inclusion and positive development. The Observatory’s specific objectives, stated in detail on the platform’s About Us page, include conducting and disseminating relevant research on responsible data and AI in the region, providing a space to host voices from the MENA region and hence include them in global scholarship debates on AI, to create a diverse regional network from the existing regional data and AI ecosystem for collaboration, to raise social awareness on key issues, and to impact policy-making in the realms of data and AI in the region. 

Some of the key overarching goals of the platform are also to create and strengthen networks beyond the region, and to expand these networks to include the global south. The network the Observatory aims to build and sustain is the reason behind the creation of the Community page, hosting information on the multiple individuals and institutions forming the network, and hence facilitating collaboration. Furthermore, the Collaborate page is also meant to further provide the space to allow for fruitful collaborations. The collaborate page hence consists of three main sections: (1) finding partners, (2) sharing relevant events, and (3) sharing work. 

Additionally, one of the key goals of the Observatory is also to include a critical gender-sensitive lens to the work produced and featured. This is visible throughout, but more specifically visible under the Gender & AI section of the homepage. This section features different work on the Observatory with a specific focus on gender, and also features the work produced by A2K4D as the Feminist AI Research Network’s MENA Hub. 

Some of the other key topics that are a focal point include the use of data and AI in the healthcare sector, for food security and agriculture, as well as activities related to the theme of work, visible in outputs on platform work and Oxford Internet Institute’s Fairwork project. These can all be located on the Knowledge Hub, falling under the relevant section (either Research Outputs, Educational Resources, or Data Depository sections), and with the option to be filtered through using the tags filter on the page. An example of this is the AI Glossary: Key Terms, currently featured on the homepage.

To further provide multimodal material, the Observatory also has a Posts section with briefly written pieces that also engage with key AI-related topics in a more accessible format. This includes posts that are both specific to certain themes, such as a post on AI and health titled “MENA’s Ascendence into AI and Health Innovation.” Other posts offer a more holistic and overarching view of the topic of AI in the region, such as in the following posts: “Towards Responsible Use of Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in MENA - The Culture of Data and AI,” and “The Need for a Context-Specific Study of AI and Data in The MENA Region.” Other posts also offer explorations of specific countries in the region, such as: “Data Privacy in The Middle East and North Africa’s Artificial Intelligence Ecosystems: A Glimpse on Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.” 

This country-specific approach is also made accessible via the Observatory’s individual country profiles that can be accessed by hovering over the Knowledge Hub tab. This feature currently includes a regional profile, and then individual profiles for countries that have work currently published, or are in the process of being published, on the platform. This includes: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, and Palestine. 

Another format of outputs also developed and published by the platform is the Aswat: Voices from MENA channel, accessible both through the platform’s homepage and via YouTube. This channel houses videos produced on relevant themes. Currently, the MENA AI Observatory: Interview Series has gone live, consisting of short interviews with multiple members of A2K4D’s community discussing their current AI-related research, its context in their respective countries, and key findings. This is meant to allow for a more visual presentation of the material available on the platform, hence facilitating the accessibility of the knowledge.

Finally, for further accessibility and grounding of the platform, a mirroring of the platform in Arabic is currently underway. The Arabic version of the platform can currently be accessed in its beta version, and some material, such as the “Fairwork Egypt Ratings 2022/23: Platform Workers Amidst Egypt’s Economic Crisis,” has been published in both English and Arabic. 

While there are further updates in process, in the meantime, visitors of the platform can reach out to ask for any information pertaining to content or questions about the platform via the Contact Us page.

What’s Next?

As previously stated, the platform continues to be a work in progress. The soft-launch event served as the starting point for the opening up of feedback and edits, as well as an introduction into the possibilities of the platform. During the event, feedback from workshop participants and partners was accounted for, and is currently being explored by the team to further develop the platform. After the event, a wider conversation has ensued, especially with different posts and publications coming out addressing the platform (such as the piece on the Observatory by the Al-Ahram Hebdo). This conversation is incredibly important given the iterative design of the platform, its grounds-up approach, and its aim to continue to be contextually sensitive and responsive. The feedback given has already provided so much food for thought, making the upcoming question to visitors of the platform necessary: what do you think is important next?