2023-12-17 09:47:47
At the heart of numerous disruptive and irreversible transformations, Artificial Intelligence should be Tunisia’s formidable weapon in its race towards the industry of the future.
Speaker at the conference on Artificial Intelligence which was recently organized by the Belgian-Tunisian Economic Governance Council, in collaboration with the Cité des Sciences in Tunis, the Belgian Embassy in Tunisia and the Wallonia general delegation. Brussels in Tunisia, under the patronage of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the former Minister of Communication Technologies and president of the advisory board of the Pristini school for AI, Pr Naceur Ammar, explained how Artificial Intelligence, as a disruptive technology at the heart of the profound transformations experienced in various political, economic and social areas, will forever shake up the business world.
According to the former minister, several changes are shaping the world of industry. First of all, there is the fifth revolution which has reared its ugly head. A revolution characterized by the collaboration between man and machine.
“When we talk regarding revolution, we are of course talking regarding rupture. And this rupture is manifested both at the level of companies’ business models and at the level of the job market,” he indicated.
“It’s the end of Taylorism”
He added that with Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things, the industrial world has completely transformed, moving from mass production to mass customization. “We do volume, but in a personalized way,” he commented. According to Ammar, the end of competitiveness through labor costs and the emergence of reshoring policies constitute another paradigm that is impacting production processes across the world. Tunisia can take full advantage of this.
“In the industry, there is no more stock. These are tight flows. We produce according to customer orders automatically. And then, we are in digital continuity in the industry, that is to say that there is no longer a divide between product and service. We no longer just sell a product to consume, but we offer a service with it,” he explained. And to add that industrial investment is no longer sensitive to the volume effect.
It offers the opportunity to invest in the industry without the barriers of the XXe century. “It’s the end of Taylorism,” he says. Added to this are environmental requirements and the transition to a clean industry.
“In all these paradigms, AI is present. We’re talking regarding smart billing. How is it present in the smart factory? It is present at the design level of products and processes. We are talking regarding digital simulation, digital twins, automatic piloting and control with connected factories and lines. It also involves the Internet of Things, communicating machines and flow management. In terms of manufacturing operations, we are talking regarding intelligent machines that can be controlled remotely and additive manufacturing which allows for savings in materials,” he said.
For Ammar, developing countries, including Tunisia, have no other choice but to move towards these technologies. Because this time, it is no longer possible to catch up on the delay in these large-scale digital transformations. “What presents an opportunity for these technologies is that there are no longer any barriers to investment. This represents a lot of opportunities for a country like Tunisia which is at the door to Europe and which is located in its African environment,” he indicated.
And to conclude: “The Western bloc no longer wants a long supply chain. Nearshoring constitutes an opportunity for Tunisia insofar as it allows it to initiate a business climate embracing this disruptive technology that is AI while taking advantage of industrial relocation, not by promoting Tunisia as a “low cost” country, but by presenting it as a country where there is a pool of intelligent human capital which can contribute to scientific and technological development.
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