The Israeli Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) officially launches to empower industries, enterprises and small-medium businesses, communities, and underrepresented populations in Israel and beyond. Founded by seasoned technology leader David Bar, it aims to guide enterprises through AI transformation and redefine how society interacts with and benefits from AI technology. The ‘Why’ behind David's mission is to support people and businesses, ensuring that the opportunity of AI is used to empower both.
David Bar
ICAI is built on three pillars that address a distinct need within the shifting AI landscape. These foundations form an impactful framework that catalyzes business innovation, democratizes AI access, and builds inclusive capacity for future generations of implementers.
The first pillar of ICAI is a professional services arm that delivers end-to-end AI solutions for businesses, with a key focus on those whose mission revolves around social impact. It specializes in hands-on development of AI-powered systems in sectors like healthcare, education, and non-profit organizations. For the ICAI consulting arm, the company immerses itself within client development teams, offering CTO-level and AI leadership accompaniment. It focuses on assisting the modernization of the core complex systems through an AI-first approach, which is faster, more secure, and more scalable, resulting in a better overall product.
The second pillar is ICAI’s nonprofit initiative. It stems from a bold social vision to make AI an engine for upward mobility. Bar believes that intelligence shouldn’t be limited by formal education or socioeconomic status. Moreover, he argues that it can act as a magnifier of untapped potential on a large scale. This initiative seeks to provide tools, education, and real-world guidance to underrepresented and underserved populations in Israel, including women, Ultra Orthodox, Arab communities, Druze, at-risk youth, veterans, and those living in the geographical and economic periphery.
The third is a community-driven pillar that ICAI refers to as a collective of AI implementers. This is a space for individuals who took a leap and made a move into the world of AI. These individuals possess real skill in applying the tools to practical use cases, such as office admin, customer service, tutoring, social/marketing content creation, and more. Participants gain informal accreditation through the center, validating their capabilities and improving their confidence.
Consequently, small and medium-sized businesses get access to a pool of skilled, cost-effective talent. ICAI also aims to hire at least 20 percent of its professional workforce from this very community, creating a cycle of mentorship, employment, and social lifting. While at the same time, giving these individuals the opportunity to work alongside experienced industry experts.
As a newly launched organization, ICAI is rolling out each of its three pillars at varying stages of development. Its professional services branch is already in operation. Meanwhile, the nonprofit and initiatives are in early-phase development. Strategic planning and partnerships are underway. In addition, ICAI is seeking collaboration with NGOs, governmental bodies, and impact-driven businesses that align with its mission to advance pilot programs for AI-driven mobility.
“We stand at a moment where AI can either deepen divides or become a force that levels the playing field. At ICAI, we believe in the latter,” Bar says. “Our mission is to leverage AI not just to build better products but to shape a better society.”
Bar possesses over 30 years of technological leadership in enterprise solutions, data systems, and advanced machine learning. Seeing AI as the next technological wave and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a tangible impact on business and society, he founded ICAI. Bar envisions it as a center that merges professional excellence with social responsibility.
Ultimately, ICAI bridges the divide between profit-driven enterprise services and mission-driven social initiatives. It’s poised to grow in scale and impact by building an ecosystem where top-tier AI implementation coexists with grassroots empowerment and inclusive education.
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