More than 500 policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors gathered at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille for the third edition of the Mediterranean Artificial Intelligence Forum, known as FMIA. The event was held under the high patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron, a signal of just how seriously France is taking the region's technological ambitions.
The forum's headline moment came from an unlikely pairing. French mathematician Cédric Villani and Lamiae Azizi, Scientific Director of AI at Morocco's Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, presented a joint strategic study on artificial intelligence ecosystems across five countries: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Their findings painted a picture of real promise. Young tech talent, growing research capacity, and emerging startup cultures are quietly building something across both shores of the Mediterranean. The obstacles are just as real though, including limited access to financing, computing infrastructure, specialised training, and international markets.
The study's core argument is that the region does not need to race the giants. Rather than chasing increasingly expensive AI models in direct competition with American tech companies or China's digital ecosystem, Villani and Azizi advocated for a leaner, more resource-efficient approach built around local economic and social priorities.
FMIA 2026 also moved beyond conversation, offering concrete initiatives in research, investment, entrepreneurship, and regional cooperation. Whether those initiatives translate into lasting infrastructure is the question the Mediterranean now has to answer.
Originally published by African Business.