The State of Israel and the United States signed today, at the City of David in Jerusalem, a Joint Statement in the field of Artificial Intelligence. This follows Israel’s joining last month of the Pax Silica initiative, which unites leading nations in the field of AI. Out of the nine leading nations in this sector, Israel was selected to be the first country to sign a Joint Statement with the U.S.The Joint Statement signed today is another step in advancing the State of Israel toward global leadership in Artificial Intelligence, as part of the flagship goals of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The memorandum was signed by the Head of the National AI Directorate, Brig.- Gen. (Res.) Erez Eskel, and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, in the presence of Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar:
Today – as part of the Pax Silica initiative – Israel and the United States are issuing a Joint Statement on the launch of a strategic partnership: On A.I., research and critical technologies. This is another milestone in our unbreakable alliance. Under the leadership of President Trump, our relations are at historic heights. I commend Prime Minister Netanyahu for forming the National AI Agency – to address today’s challenges and opportunities. And I wish you, Erez, continued success. Keep up the good work. Today’s statement is further proof of the undeniable fact: Just as the United States is indispensable for Israel – Israel is an indispensable asset for America and its National Security interests. Israel enables America to secure these interests in the dangerous Middle East.”
Head of the National AI Directorate, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Erez Eskel:
“Since the establishment of the National AI Directorate under the Prime Minister, we have been working vigorously to create partnerships with the key nations leading the global AI industry, foremost among them our great friend, the United States. In this framework, about a month ago, we joined the Pax Silica group – a group of leading nations in the development of safe Artificial Intelligence.
This partnership with leading nations joins efforts to build high-power computing infrastructure and develop human capital for the AI industry in Israel, in deep collaboration with academia and industry.
I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his extensive efforts to support the Directorate, out of the understanding that leadership in the field of artificial intelligence will determine the national security of the State of Israel.”
US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Mr. Jacob Helberg:
“With the launch of Pax Silica, the United States and Israel are uniting our innovation ecosystems to ensure the future is shaped by strong and sovereign allies leading in critical technologies like AI and robotics. Standing on the ancient foundations of the City of David, we are declaring that we are not creatures of circumstance, but the creators of history—building a new era of security and prosperity together.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:
“I often say that America has many friends and allies, but we have only one true partner in Israel. This Strategic Partnership announcement is just the latest example of U.S.-Israel cooperation on the most important and challenging issues of our time – access to critical minerals, resilience of supply chains, the development of AI, quantum computing, and next generation technology that will benefit both America and Israel and fundamentally change the world.”
Israel and the United States and Israel intend to continue their deep, durable partnership through joint research, development, investment, and commercialization across a broad range of strategic sectors, including: artificial intelligence (AI), energy technologies and storage, advanced computing infrastructure, space, edge innovation, additive manufacturing, and semiconductors. This partnership includes renewed focus on protection of sensitive technologies and supply chains, strengthening a secure and trusted environment for investment and collaboration.
Photos: Yossi Zamir (GPO)