The international conference held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) on exploring the status of human beings in the era of virtual and augmented reality metaverse concluded its proceedings with a series of workshops on artificial intelligence, for the benefit of 150 researchers, students and professors specialized in the field.

At the outset of the workshops, which were held on Thursday, June 17, 2022, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, in partnership with the Algora Lab at the University of Montreal, Dr. Kais Hammami, Head of ICESCO Center for Strategic Foresight, emphasized the importance of adopting a forward-looking approach in using artificial intelligence in our daily lives, and the role of strategic foresight in promoting a comprehensive dialogue on the ethics of artificial intelligence.

For his part, Dr. Marc-Antoine Dilhac, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the University of Montreal, and Director of the Algora Lab, defined the concept of artificial intelligence, stressing that our societies must be prepared to face digital transformations, then delved into its ethical and social implications, particularly on human rights and creativity.

The participants were then divided into twelve groups and took part in practical workshops to work on different topics, notably the role of artificial intelligence in preserving languages ​​and minority languages, curbing climate change, fighting online misinformation, and digitizing education.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General (DG), visited the workshops and listened to the views of the participants, who underscored the importance of this conference and thanked the Organization for organizing these highly-instructive workshops.

At the close of the event, Dr. Hammami and Dr. Dilhac presented a summary of the main points that were discussed during the conference, which is aimed at exploring the future of metaverse within the Islamic world and beyond, understanding its impact on our daily lives and the importance of facing its changes and transformations, and exchange views on the nexus between ethics and modern technology.