Cuba has the potential to make rapid progress in the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI); we have long had professional capabilities for its development in all areas, said the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, yesterday, at a meeting with scientists and experts.
The world is moving very fast in this, and we cannot lag behind; we have to do the same as was done with biotechnology, because there are the capabilities to place us at the forefront in a short time, he stressed.
He emphasized that we can develop IA in all university careers, including the social sciences, and also in the medical sciences, where great progress is being made in the use of this tool worldwide.
Doctor of Science Walter Baluja García, Minister of Higher Education, insisted that professionals who have graduated with honors from foreign universities in IA are working in our universities. In Cuba, he said, there is a more advanced development than in many other countries.
The Minister of Communications, Mayra Arevich Marín, reported on the activities being carried out to verify the digital transformation strategy until 2030, and the boost to be given to ia with the incorporation of the University of Computer Sciences and Cujae, as well as the participation of students, including those from municipal university centers, through contracts and payments; an initiative that is making its way with the help of the Financial Fund for Science and Innovation (Fonci, in Spanish) of Citma.
Díaz-Canel pointed out that it is necessary to extend the results in ia that are obtained in one entity or sector, to others that need it, so that it is used as a service.
The meeting of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic with scientists and experts, in videoconference format, focused this month on the Strategy for the development of artificial intelligence in Cuba, giving continuity to the exchange held on the subject at the beginning of the year.
The proposal of actions in the Human Capital axis was the focus of the meeting. Professor Denys Buedo Hidalgo, director of Informatization of the Ministry of Higher Education, made a presentation in which he explained that the general objective in this axis is "to prepare human capital for the economic, cultural, political and social transformation imposed by the responsible use and development of Artificial Intelligence".
The strategy's specific objectives, among others, are to update curricula at all levels of education, including content that fosters the development of digital competencies in students, to facilitate their adoption of ia and its applications.
It is also intended to improve the teaching-learning process and incorporate the use of ia to create personalized educational itineraries that adapt to the needs, skills and learning pace of each student.
The objectives are also to implement ia professional development and training programs for teachers and all those involved in the educational process; to facilitate the understanding and adoption of ia in informal educational environments, through resources and activities designed specifically for this purpose; and to develop ia training plans for personnel involved in science, research and innovation, as well as for government and government officials.
Doctor of Science Rafael Bello Pérez, from the Marta Abreu de Las Villas Central University (uclv), considered the founder of the development of artificial intelligence in Cuba, agreed with the President and proposed the creation of a director program in each university to promote cutting-edge initiatives in each career.
Alejandro Rosete Suárez, PhD in Sciences, from the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems Infrastructure of Cujae, and another national leader in the field, expressed the same opinion. He exemplified that last month, out of 12 theses that were defended at the Faculty of Informatics Engineering, seven dealt with AI.
"Cuba, he asserted, does not have a problem for education and training in artificial intelligence; it has world-class specialists, what we need to do is to use them more."
This week's exchange with experts and scientists was also led by the member of the Political Bureau and Vice President of the Republic, Salvador Valdés Mesa, and Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz.
The Central Committee member and head of the Department of Attention to the Social Sector, Susely Morfa González, and Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman, and several ministers, among other officials, also attended the meeting.
