The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into national strategies is essential for sovereignty, said Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Deputy Minister in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, on Tuesday in Salé. Speaking at the opening of Morocco's first National AI Conference, she stressed the urgent need for both institutional and collective awareness that AI is not a future concept, it is a present-day reality. This reality, she explained, is already reshaping key sectors such as social protection, education, health, finance, and urban planning, redefining long-held principles of equity, efficiency, reliability, and sovereignty. As such, she urged that AI should not be seen as a secondary technical tool, but as a core institutional responsibility that requires rethinking how the public sector operates and rebuilding systems of trust between citizens and the state. The minister also emphasized the dual responsibility brought on by the rapid evolution of AI. On one hand, it is vital to avoid clinging to outdated administrative models; on the other, the country must remain agile and ready to redirect national strategies, such as the Digital Morocco 2030 plan, toward full AI integration. Seghrouchni pointed out a key paradox of AI: its ability to either reinforce inequalities or help reduce them. The goal, she said, is to harness AI as a force for social justice and equitable access to opportunities and resources. Highlighting Morocco's African depth, she asserted that AI is not just a global tech race, but also a question of symbolic and material sovereignty, an arena where global power balances are being redefined. She concluded by calling for a sovereign approach to AI, managed «at the level of a nation with a true will for reform and the courage to lead», so that artificial intelligence becomes a genuine driver of development.
