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Highlighting artificial intelligence as a transformative global force, Ilan Fluss, former Ambassador and Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) Policy Coordinator at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored the country's commitment to innovation, responsible development, and expanded bilateral cooperation in emerging technologies.
Speaking on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in the Indian capital, Fluss described artificial intelligence as a turning point comparable to historic global shifts. Speaking exclusively to ANI, he said, "I think it creates so much interest because AI is really reshaping the world, reshaping economy, reshaping society, and it touches countries, but it touches people. So it is critical to make sure that it's doing what it should do, and it really benefits the world at large, and of course each country by itself. And we came here in order to be exposed, and also to express and to show what Israel is doing vis-a-vis AI, and to share it with the world at large." The delegation's visit to New Delhi included participation in the Summit as well as bilateral meetings with Indian government representatives aimed at strengthening technological collaboration. "AI is a revolution. You can compare it to the Industrial Revolution, and we need to make sure that we benefit from this revolution. We are only at the beginning," Ilan Fluss said. Fluss emphasized that while AI's early impacts are already visible, the technology remains in its formative stages. "We are starting to see, but there's still so much investment in so many directions. We have to make sure we're going in the right direction, and Israel has some approaches that we believe are very effective, and can be a very interesting model for many other countries and partners,"he said. The former Ambassador included representatives from multiple ministries and sectors, reflecting what officials described as AI's cross-cutting impact across society. "Well, we have a delegation here, which we have the head of the Israeli AI Directorate, which is more of an overall in charge of AI in the country, but of course we have a representative, he's an expert in agriculture. We have the Ministry of Education. We have the Ministry of Labor here regarding, you know, the working force and re-skilling and skilling. We have here the Ministry of Health, because of digital health. So it touches, we have the Ministry of Science, because science is also changing. So it touches every aspect," he said. Among the key areas of focus was precision agriculture, particularly in the context of climate change and global food security. "So if we talk about, you know, precise agriculture, it is critical in days where, you know, climate is changing, and how do we make our agriculture more efficient, and how are we able to feed the people? So there are amazing solutions that come out, that can come from the AI," Ilan Fluss said. Israel positioned itself as a global innovation hub eager to share expertise while also learning from partners. "Israel is a leader in innovation, in research, for many reasons. The Israeli innovations can really benefit the world at large, and what we have done here, we are going to have also another event later on today showing some of the practices of Israel. So from the very technical, I would say, to the more strategic approach to AI, all along this Israel has a lot to offer, and of course we're also listening and learning from others," he said. The official drew attention to the complementary strengths of India and Israel, noting the contrast in scale between the two countries. "If we talk about India, a country, such a big country, 1.4 billion people. Israel is a very small country, only 10 million. But, the solutions can be similar or can really converge into better solutions. Israel is in a way like a small hub, but we have to talk about scale. Israel is a small country, we don't have the scale. So working with India in bringing solutions to the scale is very important," Ilan Fluss said. On the issue of regulation and ethics, the delegation advocated a balanced approach that prioritizes innovation while ensuring safeguards. "Finally, or not finally, but we're hearing a lot of messages about responsible AI, and what we're saying, yes, AI has to be responsible. But first of all, we also need to look always at the innovation in order to find the right solutions to use research and development, and to challenge, to identify the challenges that we are being challenged as a society, as a country, as people. Identify the challenge. Develop the new solution. This is what we're doing in Israel, identifying challenges, developing solutions. And as we develop, as we do tests and trial, from understanding the situation on the ground, then comes the regulation or the safety mechanisms in order to measure the challenges," Ilan Fluss said. The visit also reinforced the broader strategic relationship between India and Israel, with technology and AI expected to play a larger role in future cooperation. "And this is what we're doing in Israel. What we have done here in New Delhi is the conference, but also a lot of meetings with possible partners from the Indian government. Because if I move to the bilaterals, India and Israel are close allies. We see many things alike. We work together in many areas. Now, we want to create also partnerships and collaborations either with government and also with the private sector on AI. That's the, I would say, the future of the relations is going towards much more, towards technology. I think this is also the vision of Prime Minister Modi, and this is also the vision of Prime Minister Netanyahu," Ilan Fluss said. As both nations deepen ties in emerging technologies, officials indicated that artificial intelligence could become a central pillar of the next phase of India-Israel relations. (ANI)
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