The Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt and the US Embassy in Cairo hosted a regional alumni conference on artificial intelligence from June 7 to 9. The event marked the 250th anniversary of the United States and brought together 61 Fulbright alumni from the MENA region.
The conference titled 'Education, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI' explored how American AI technologies are driving innovation across education, research, business, and governance in Egypt and the wider MENA region.
Marwa Abbas, General Manager and Technology Leader for North East Africa at IBM, delivered the keynote address. She said: 'Throughout my career, I’ve seen that the most successful transformations are never driven by technology alone. They are driven by people who are willing to learn, adapt, enhance, and embrace change.'
Ruben Harutunian, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Cairo, highlighted the enduring Fulbright partnership. Cari Graves, Senior Programme Officer at the US Department of State, noted that the programme 'builds the trusted global and regional networks that drive innovation, economic growth, and security.'
Established in 1949, the BFCE is the largest and oldest Fulbright programme in the MENA region and has supported more than 8,000 Egyptian and American scholars and students.