Prof. Ami Moyal is the President of Afeka School of Engineering and the newly elected Chairman of the Israeli Council for Larger Schooling’s Planning & Budgeting Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical & Laptop Engineering from Ben-Gurion College and is an knowledgeable in automated speech recognition. Earlier than changing into Afeka’s President in 2014, he based the Afeka Heart for Language Processing and led the College of Electrical Engineering. As President, he’s devoted to reworking engineering training by implementing curriculum reforms, progressive pedagogy, {industry} collaborations, and restructured studying environments to reinforce graduates’ workforce readiness whereas fostering a tradition of excellence and pleasure in studying.
Together with your in depth background in each academia and {industry}—having led Afeka School of Engineering and beforehand serving as CEO of Pure Speech Communication—how have you ever seen Israel’s AI panorama evolve through the years, and what key shifts stand out to you at the moment?
All through my profession in high-tech and academia I’ve witnessed a outstanding transformation in Israel’s AI panorama. Within the early 2000s once I led a speech recognition firm, AI applied sciences have been targeted on particular expertise functions like speech recognition and laptop imaginative and prescient, largely invisible to most people.
As we speak, AI has moved from specialised functions to changing into foundational throughout just about each sector. Essentially the most important shift has been the democratization of AI instruments. After we developed speech recognition expertise, these programs required important experience and assets in growth and utilization was modest. Now, with instruments like ChatGPT, AI capabilities are accessible to almost everybody.
From my present place main an engineering school, I see AI reshaping instructional processes, in addition to analysis and work processes. We’re shifting past merely instructing AI to integrating AI-powered instruments into how we educate all topics, whereas making ready college students for an AI-augmented office. The main focus has shifted from merely imparting information to growing essential competencies – an umbrella time period for information, abilities and values.
As AI handles extra routine duties, distinctly human skills like essential pondering, creativity, moral judgment, and interpersonal abilities have gotten more and more priceless. This represents maybe probably the most profound shift: recognizing that as AI capabilities develop, human abilities grow to be extra, not much less, very important.
Given your expertise main each a speech recognition firm and an instructional establishment, what synergies do you see between academia and {industry} in accelerating AI innovation in Israel?
Having labored on the intersection of academia and {industry}, I’ve noticed a number of highly effective connections that may speed up AI innovation.
First, there is a helpful cycle of expertise growth and information switch between academia and {industry}. At Afeka for instance, we educate college students with cutting-edge AI abilities who then be a part of {industry}, whereas {industry} professionals usually be a part of as adjunct school, bringing sensible insights that hold our curriculum and academic course of related and up to date.
Second, collaborative analysis initiatives between academia and {industry} speed up innovation. Throughout my time in speech recognition expertise, we participated in worldwide analysis partnerships alongside educational establishments. This expertise knowledgeable my method when establishing the Afeka Heart for Language Processing, the place we carried out utilized analysis initiatives with {industry} companions via joint funding mechanisms that foster academia-industry collaborations.
Particularly, within the AI discipline, apart from expertise we want large-scale databases and big computing energy. Academia-industry cooperation concerning these essential wants can undoubtedly speed up the usage of AI and innovation.
As we speak we’re seeing how these relationships are evolving with the democratization of AI instruments. Essentially the most profitable AI improvements in Israel emerge when educational excellence meets entrepreneurial problem-solving. As AI continues to rework industries, strengthening these connections will probably be important for sustaining Israel’s aggressive edge.
How has DeepSeek’s current breakthrough—proving that cutting-edge AI could be developed with out billion-dollar budgets—modified the aggressive panorama for Israeli startups?
DeepSeek’s answer reinforces what I’ve all the time believed: ingenuity can usually outweigh monetary energy. This is a vital reinforcement of Israel’s aggressive benefit which has all the time been its high-quality human useful resource pool. When innovation relies upon extra on mental capital than monetary capital, Israel’s distinctive expertise pool turns into much more priceless.
Examples like DeepSeek show that Israeli startups can take part in foundational mannequin growth somewhat than being restricted to constructing functions on present platforms. This opens alternatives for startups to create specialised AI options in industries the place Israel already has robust area experience—similar to cybersecurity, healthcare, and agricultural expertise.
That mentioned, growing superior AI fashions nonetheless requires substantial experience and assets. The barrier has been lowered, not eradicated. From an academic perspective, this highlights the significance of instructing not simply AI fundamentals but in addition ideas of environment friendly implementation.
Israel has an extended historical past of technological innovation. What distinctive components inside Israel’s startup ecosystem allow AI and tech corporations to grow to be so profitable?
Israel’s success in technological innovation stems from a novel mixture of things which have created the “Startup Nation” phenomenon.
First is Israel’s distinctive human capital. Army service usually offers priceless technical coaching, but it surely additionally develops resilience, management, teamwork, and strategic pondering. By school, Israelis are already ready for challenges with a maturity that enhances their capacity to succeed.
Our cultural mindset is one other essential issue. Israel has all the time confronted complicated challenges with restricted assets, fostering a tradition that values resourcefulness, adaptability, and artistic problem-solving—what we name “chutzpah.” Failure is commonly seen as a stepping stone somewhat than a setback.
Moreover, our small geographical measurement creates distinctive networking alternatives. With brief distances between educational establishments, tech hubs, and funding facilities, relationships kind simply. In Israel, should you do not personally know somebody, you undoubtedly know somebody who is aware of them. This close-knit setting allows concepts and experience to flow into effectively all through our innovation ecosystem, accelerating collaboration and growth.
Lastly, on account of our small home market, Israeli startups suppose globally from day one, designing options for worldwide markets. This world mindset encourages formidable pondering and options that tackle common challenges.
With many reservists getting back from navy service, how do you see battlefield innovation influencing the subsequent wave of AI startups in Israel?
At Afeka alone, over 44% of our scholar physique was known as up for reserve obligation throughout the current battle. Whereas difficult, this example presents distinctive alternatives for Israel’s future in technological innovation that may affect the subsequent wave of AI startups:
Battlefield expertise has strengthened the significance of AI programs which might be each sturdy and resilient, whereas fixing real-life issues with instant impression. When lives rely on expertise functioning accurately beneath unpredictable circumstances, it creates a wholly totally different normal for reliability and transparency.
I additionally anticipate innovation in human-AI collaboration. In high-pressure eventualities, the connection between human operators and AI programs turns into essential—understanding when to belief automated suggestions versus when human judgment ought to prevail.
Nevertheless, for this innovation potential to be realized, it’s vital that these reservists full their levels. At Afeka, we have carried out complete help for returning reservists to make sure they’ll full their training on time.
What are some standout Israeli AI startups that you simply imagine will make a worldwide impression within the subsequent few years?
Whereas I do not intently monitor particular startups, I can spotlight a number of areas the place Israeli AI corporations are positioned to make important world impression, particularly in gentle of the present circumstances: Cybersecurity, constructing on Israel’s well-established experience on this area; Healthcare and medical expertise, the place Israeli startups are making use of AI to rework diagnostics and therapy, with a current concentrate on emergency medication; Protection and homeland safety functions, leveraging operational expertise to create simpler programs.
Nevertheless, what distinguishes probably the most promising Israeli AI startups is not simply their technical capabilities however their concentrate on fixing significant issues with clear societal impression.
It is also necessary for tutorial institutes to be agile and preserve open dialogue with {industry} to pay attention to rising developments and replace curricula accordingly. In anticipation of the expansion in AI applied sciences, Afeka established a brand new College of Information Science and Clever Programs to arrange graduates with the specialised abilities wanted for the AI-driven economic system.
Afeka School just lately carried out a examine highlighting AI proficiency as probably the most sought-after ability in Israel’s high-tech sector. Have been there any key findings that stood out to you, and the way is Afeka adapting its curriculum to arrange college students for this AI-driven job market?
Our annual Abilities Index survey revealed an fascinating paradox in Israel’s high-tech sector. Whereas 55% of high-tech managers recognized AI proficiency as their prime private growth precedence, solely 7-9% at the moment contemplate it important when hiring new staff. This implies we’re in a transitional interval the place AI adoption is primarily pushed by particular person initiative somewhat than structured organizational methods.
AI is not confined to specialised roles—it is changing into a basic competency throughout just about all high-tech positions. But organizations are nonetheless determining the way to formalize these necessities.
On the identical time, conventional engineering abilities are nonetheless extremely valued. For prime-tech positions, the power to work independently topped the listing (61%), adopted by problem-solving capabilities and self-directed studying.
At Afeka, we’re taking motion in two methods. We’re encouraging school to include AI ideas and instruments into their programs, whereas strengthening our concentrate on foundational abilities that employers persistently worth.
Some programs, for instance, have been fully redesigned. In our Language Processing course, college students not write fundamental code that AI can simply generate. As an alternative, they take AI-generated code to extra subtle ranges, making use of it to resolve complicated issues whereas growing a essential understanding of the expertise’s limitations.
Our College of Information Science and AI addresses specialised training, however we acknowledge that every one engineers want familiarity with AI no matter their specialization.
Past technical AI abilities, what different competencies (e.g., essential pondering, management, communication) are important for professionals working in an AI-powered economic system?
As AI capabilities develop, distinctly human skills grow to be extra priceless, not much less.
Important pondering is probably probably the most important ability in an AI-powered economic system. When working with programs that may generate convincing however doubtlessly flawed outputs, professionals must rigorously consider info, determine inconsistencies, and validate outcomes in opposition to real-world information.
Moreover, whereas AI is nice at sample recognition and optimization inside outlined parameters, breakthrough improvements usually require inventive “out-of-the-box” pondering that helps envision novel functions and approaches that AI would not generate independently.
Communication can also be an necessary ability. Engineers are not confined to growing algorithms, they need to clarify the potential, capabilities and limitations of the applied sciences they develop successfully, precisely and persuasively, usually to non-technical decision-makers.
With the accelerating tempo of technological change, engineers must constantly replace their understanding. This has additionally elevated the significance of self-directed studying.
Collaboration throughout disciplines has additionally grow to be more and more essential as AI functions span conventional boundaries. Engineers must work successfully with area specialists, enterprise strategists, and designers, integrating various insights to develop complete options.
The moral dimensions of AI growth add one other essential competency. Engineers should contemplate the implications of their work on society, on folks, on the setting, and so forth. determine potential biases, and make accountable design decisions.
How do you see the function of engineering training evolving to make sure Israel stays a frontrunner in AI innovation?
Competencies similar to—essential pondering, creativity, communication, teamwork, self-directed studying and moral judgment—should grow to be central to engineering training if Israel is to take care of its management in AI innovation. This requires a basic transformation in how we put together engineers for the workforce.
At Afeka, we have pioneered a competency-based instructional mannequin that begins by defining the “graduate profile”—the entire set of information, skilled abilities, private abilities and values engineers want within the fashionable office. This profile serves as our compass, guiding all facets of the tutorial expertise towards growing these competencies in our college students.
All parts of the graduate profile, together with private abilities have been integrated as studying outcomes of our curricula via a gradual course of of accelerating proficiency. We map how every course contributes to constructing these competencies, making a cohesive studying journey that culminates in graduates who possess each technical experience and the non-public abilities wanted for skilled success.
This method represents a shift from information switch to competency growth. Whereas technical information and abilities stay important, the power to use that information in complicated, real-world eventualities is what actually differentiates profitable engineers. We have moved past conventional lecture codecs to include extra project-based studying, {industry} collaborations, and interdisciplinary challenges that develop problem-solving skills alongside technical abilities.
The Afeka Framework for STEM Schooling, which we have developed based mostly on our expertise remodeling engineering training, provides a strategy that may be utilized throughout the tutorial continuum. By defining graduate profiles at every instructional stage and aligning studying experiences accordingly, we will strengthen Israel’s human capital pipeline from Pre-Okay via skilled growth.
What developments do you anticipate shaping Israel’s AI {industry} in 2025 and past?
The democratization of AI growth and utilization will proceed, enabling smaller groups to create subtle options with out large budgets. This pattern performs to Israel’s conventional benefits in agility and artistic problem-solving. Our innovation ecosystem thrives on small, agile groups tackling particular challenges—precisely the setting the place these extra accessible AI growth approaches can flourish.
I anticipate the battlefield improvements rising from our present battle will affect the subsequent wave of AI startups in Israel. As I discussed earlier, the expertise of growing expertise beneath excessive circumstances creates a novel perspective on necessities like robustness, reliability, and human-AI collaboration.
The expertise panorama will evolve considerably as effectively. Whereas demand for AI experience will intensify, the definition of that experience will broaden past specialised researchers to incorporate area specialists who can successfully apply AI of their fields. This shift aligns with the hole we recognized in our Abilities Index between managers’ rising curiosity in AI and present hiring practices—we’re witnessing the start of a extra complete integration of AI throughout skilled roles.
Lastly, I anticipate AI to play an more and more central function in nationwide resilience. The current battle has highlighted the essential significance of technological capabilities and the necessity for optimum stability between people and AI in making certain safety and sustaining important companies. We’ll probably see better funding in AI functions that improve infrastructure safety, emergency response, and significant programs.
Success will rely on our capacity to adapt our academic programs, preserve our entrepreneurial tradition, and proceed growing the human capital that has all the time been Israel’s biggest useful resource.
