World Geostrategic Insights interview with Fatima Roumate about her book “Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education and Scientific Research,” which recently topped BookAuthority’s list of the 20 best AI books of all time.
Q1 – Dr. Fatima Roumate, you are among the leading experts on artificial intelligence (AI) internationally. One of your AI-related books, “Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education and Scientific Research” has been placed at the top of the list of the world’s top 20 best AI books of all time compiled by “BookAuthority,” the world’s leading book-ranking and provider of recommendations and ratings on the best books published in all fields of research. What is it that most distinguishes your book for reaching such a prestigious position?
A1 – This book falls within the future studies, as is shown in the title, we adopted a prospective approach, in addition to other approaches depending on the different points of views and the multidisciplinary approach which characterizes the team who contributed to this book. Through this book, we also tried to present perspectives from different countries and continents, given that there are participants from Europe, Russia, Africa and Latin America.
Participants come from different fields ranging from mathematics, engineering, software, media and communication, to international law as well as sociology, philosophy, politics and economics. We also relied on a gender approach, and there were distinguished female researcher participants.
It is a well-thought-out and integrated research project to ensure that it succeeds in all the stages it has gone through until it reaches this level. It should be noted that this is not the first project that we have completed. I personally have already supervised three projects of this type. The first project was on “Civil Society and Democracy in the age of Social Media“, the first edition of which was published by the International Institute of Scientific Research in 2017.
The second book, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities“, was published in 2021 by the international publishing house “Springer”, and has received great attention from diplomats, especially from ambassadors and special envoys for artificial intelligence or technologies. It has also been translated and published in Vietnamese.
The third book is this one which ranks first in the list of the twenty best books in the world of all times on artificial intelligence according to BookAuthority.
Q2 – Your book explains the interaction between artificial intelligence and higher education. It explores the tangible and intangible impact of artificial intelligence on higher education and scientific research and discusses how higher education and scientific research enhance the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies. What is the main impact of artificial intelligence on higher education? What are the opportunities and challenges facing universities and colleges?
A2 – The main impact of AI on higher education is the transition from “traditional” to Hybrid and/or virtual universities. We are observing several changes in several levels such those related to the professor’s mission, pedagogical methods, management of universities, etc. These changes are positives, for example, when AI facilitates learning and makes it at the disposal of all. However, it could be negative such as privacy and academic freedom when researchers are guided by AI systems. Opportunities and challenges are addressed through the following topics:
-Virtual universities and the challenges in the era of artificial intelligence;
-Transformations of the scientific research and technological revolution;
– The role of AI in higher education and scientific research within the sustainable development model;
-Legal and legislative challenges to AI and scientific research;
– Neural hacking and ethics of AI;
– etc.
Q3 – The book also discusses ethics in artificial intelligence, taking into account the recommendation on ethics in artificial intelligence adopted by UNESCO. Why is ethics important in artificial intelligence?
A3 – Ethics of AI aims to create a bridge between algorithms and law and to bring a solution to all challenges imposed by AI to all countries considering the gap between the Global North and the Global South. COVID-19 is accelerating the transition to a society that is increasingly based on the use of, and reliance on, AI, and this also enhances the threats and creates new risks related to human rights. AI technologies are increasing faster than law. National legislation and international law take a long time to be modified and updated considering all aspects of these advanced technologies and its implications on our lives, including automation, personhood, surveillance, and standardization. The proliferation of AI requires several legal changes both in international public law and national legislation. Therefore, the process is long and complicated considering the time needed for negotiations and all steps of making decisions related to this kind of changes or the creation of new legal mechanisms related to Ethics on AI. For this reason, ethics based on universal values and principles are important in reinforcing the positive implications of AI and reducing its risks. AI ethics is currently the only way to ensure a balance between AI and the protection of human rights.
Q4 – You are also an expert with a teaching assignment in international relations and public international law. What is the relationship between AI and global affairs?
A4 – AI is transforming international relations and accelerating the transition to a new world order characterized by the massive use of AI and the appearance of new types of weapons and wars. These changes illustrate the beginning of a new age in history, where AI influences geopolitical affairs, and where new actors contribute to global governance as much as traditional ones.
As a professor of international relations, it is impossible, for example, to explain to my students the increasing role of new actors in the international society without referring to the tangible and intangible impact of advanced technologies. It is impossible to explain the balance of power in international relations without talking about the new forms of power, which are no longer only hard but have become soft and smart. How can we address the topics of international law and international humanitarian law and explain it without talking about the lethal autonomous weapons posing a threat to all humanity? AI brings new topics to the table of negotiations but also to the scientific fields such as international relations, international organizations, international public law, etc.
Fatima Roumate – President of IIRS, International Institute for Scientific Research, member of the UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Full Professor of International Law at Mohammed V Agdal University in Rabat, Morocco. She received the Award titled “Iconic Leaders Creating a Better World for All” at the Women Economic Forum 2017. She is a member of several scientific board committees of indexed journals and she published several books and indexed articles in Arabic, French, and English. She is the editor of the book Artificial Intelligence and Digital Diplomacy.
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