In Morocco, the AI 'Winter School' returns in February

On 24 and 25 February 2025, the Winter School: Next Generation AI and Economic Applications will be held in Ben Guérir, Morocco. The event is organised by the School of Industrial Management (EMINES) of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the École Polytechnique, academic partners in the "Data Science and Industrial Processes" Chair supported by the OCP Group and the Fondation de l'École polytechnique. Through conferences, round tables and a poster session, its aim is to train the student community, from masters to doctorate level, in the latest advances in artificial intelligence through practical knowledge, but also to encourage exchanges between specialists in these subjects within the academic, industry and innovation sectors.

This event is now part of an annual tradition of disseminating knowledge in artificial intelligence and new technologies. Indeed, EMINES and UM6P hosted in 2023, the "Tech'Innov Days" and in 2024 the first edition of the "Winter School AI", already supported by the Chair.

>At the head of the scientific and organising committee is Mohammed ElRhabi, a collaborator on the Chair and recently appointed Managing Director of the EMSI group, Honoris United Universities. He is accompanied by Éric Moulines, professor at the École polytechnique's Centre for Applied Mathematics (CMAP*), where he holds the Chair, and MBZUAI associate professor. Nicolas Cheimanoff, Director of EMINES-UM6P, completes the committee.

The programme includes talks by leading names in AI research such as Michael Jordan (UC Berkeley, MBZUAI & Inria), Yann Lecun (CIMS New York University & Meta) and Laurent Daudet (LightOn). All three will be taking part in a round table discussion on ways of linking theory and applications in next-generation AI. Eric Moulines will be giving a lecture on generative AI, focusing on diffusion models. Charles-Albert Lehalle, Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the École Polytechnique and researcher at CMAP*, will lead a session on AI applications in finance. A second round table will focus on the value of AI for businesses, with contributions from Btissam El Khamlichi (AI Movement), Jawad Alaoui (Norma), Jean-François Thomas (Orange EMEA), and Mohamed Sedki (ONCF). The full programme is available on the event website.

The event is open to the student community, research staff and members of industry. Registration is open until 30 January 2025.

*CMAP: a joint research unit CNRS, Inria, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France

About the "Data Science and Industrial Processes" Chair

Headed by Éric Moulines, the International Chair in Data Science and Industrial Processes is helping to train a new generation of engineers at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University to exploit data science and develop innovative industrial processes. Through the teaching and research activities of the Chair since its inception in 2018 and with the support of OCP, the partners are together preparing students to become industry innovators and develop tomorrow's industrial processes through data science.