Prof. Ami Moyal is the President of Afeka College of Engineering and the newly elected Chairman of the Israeli Council for Higher Education’s Planning & Budgeting Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Ben-Gurion University and is an expert in automatic speech recognition. Before becoming Afeka’s President in 2014, he founded the Afeka Center for Language Processing and led the School of Electrical Engineering. As President, he is dedicated to transforming engineering education by implementing curriculum reforms, innovative pedagogy, industry collaborations, and restructured learning environments to enhance graduates’ workforce readiness while fostering a culture of excellence and joy in learning.
With your extensive background in both academia and industry—having led Afeka College of Engineering and previously serving as CEO of Natural Speech Communication—how have you seen Israel’s AI landscape evolve over the years, and what key shifts stand out to you today?
Throughout my career in high-tech and academia I’ve witnessed a remarkable transformation in Israel’s AI landscape. In the early 2000s when I led a speech recognition company, AI technologies were focused on specific technology applications like speech recognition and computer vision, largely invisible to the general public.
Today, AI has moved from specialized applications to becoming foundational across virtually every sector. The most significant shift has been the democratization of AI tools. When we developed speech recognition technology, these systems required significant expertise and resources in development and usage was modest. Now, with tools like ChatGPT, AI capabilities are accessible to nearly everyone.
From my current position leading an engineering college, I see AI reshaping educational processes, as well as research and work processes. We’re moving beyond simply teaching AI to integrating AI-powered tools into how we teach all subjects, while preparing students for an AI-augmented workplace. The focus has shifted from merely imparting knowledge to developing critical competencies – an umbrella term for knowledge, skills and values.
As AI handles more routine tasks, distinctly human abilities like critical thinking, creativity, ethical judgment, and interpersonal skills are becoming increasingly valuable. This represents perhaps the most profound shift: recognizing that as AI capabilities grow, human skills become more, not less, vital.
Given your experience leading both a speech recognition company and an academic institution, what synergies do you see between academia and industry in accelerating AI innovation in Israel?
Having worked at the intersection of academia and industry, I’ve observed several powerful connections that can accelerate AI innovation.
First, there’s a beneficial cycle of talent development and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. At Afeka for example, we educate students with cutting-edge AI skills who then join industry, while industry professionals often join as adjunct faculty, bringing practical insights that keep our curriculum and educational process relevant and updated.
Second, collaborative research initiatives between academia and industry accelerate innovation. During my time in speech recognition technology, we participated in international research partnerships alongside academic institutions. This experience informed my approach when establishing the Afeka Center for Language Processing, where we conducted applied research projects with industry partners through joint funding mechanisms that foster academia-industry collaborations.
Specifically, in the AI field, besides talent we need large-scale databases and massive computing power. Academia-industry cooperation regarding these critical needs can definitely accelerate the use of AI and innovation.
Today we are seeing how these relationships are evolving with the democratization of AI tools. The most successful AI innovations in Israel emerge when academic excellence meets entrepreneurial problem-solving. As AI continues to transform industries, strengthening these connections will be essential for maintaining Israel’s competitive edge.
How has DeepSeek’s recent breakthrough—proving that cutting-edge AI can be developed without billion-dollar budgets—changed the competitive landscape for Israeli startups?
DeepSeek’s solution reinforces what I’ve always believed: ingenuity can often outweigh financial power. This is an important reinforcement of Israel’s competitive advantage which has always been its high-quality human resource pool. When innovation depends more on intellectual capital than financial capital, Israel’s exceptional talent pool becomes even more valuable.
Examples like DeepSeek demonstrate that Israeli startups can participate in foundational model development rather than being limited to building applications on existing platforms. This opens opportunities for startups to create specialized AI solutions in industries where Israel already has strong domain expertise—such as cybersecurity, healthcare, and agricultural technology.
That said, developing advanced AI models still requires substantial expertise and resources. The barrier has been lowered, not eliminated. From an educational perspective, this highlights the importance of teaching not just AI fundamentals but also principles of efficient implementation.
Israel has a long history of technological innovation. What unique factors within Israel’s startup ecosystem enable AI and tech companies to become so successful?
Israel’s success in technological innovation stems from a unique combination of factors that have created the “Startup Nation” phenomenon.
First is Israel’s exceptional human capital. Military service often provides valuable technical training, but it also develops resilience, leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking. By college, Israelis are already prepared for challenges with a maturity that enhances their ability to succeed.
Our cultural mindset is another crucial factor. Israel has always faced complex challenges with limited resources, fostering a culture that values resourcefulness, adaptability, and creative problem-solving—what we call “chutzpah.” Failure is often viewed as a stepping stone rather than a setback.
Furthermore, our small geographical size creates unique networking opportunities. With short distances between academic institutions, tech hubs, and investment centers, relationships form easily. In Israel, if you don’t personally know someone, you definitely know someone who knows them. This close-knit environment enables ideas and expertise to circulate efficiently throughout our innovation ecosystem, accelerating collaboration and development.
Finally, due to our small domestic market, Israeli startups think globally from day one, designing solutions for international markets. This global mindset encourages ambitious thinking and solutions that address universal challenges.
With many reservists returning from military service, how do you see battlefield innovation influencing the next wave of AI startups in Israel?
At Afeka alone, over 44% of our student body was called up for reserve duty during the recent conflict. While challenging, this situation presents unique opportunities for Israel’s future in technological innovation that will influence the next wave of AI startups:
Battlefield experience has reinforced the importance of AI systems that are both robust and resilient, while solving real-life problems with immediate impact. When lives depend on technology functioning correctly under unpredictable conditions, it creates an entirely different standard for reliability and transparency.
I also anticipate innovation in human-AI collaboration. In high-pressure scenarios, the relationship between human operators and AI systems becomes critical—understanding when to trust automated recommendations versus when human judgment should prevail.
However, for this innovation potential to be realized, it’s critical that these reservists complete their degrees. At Afeka, we’ve implemented comprehensive support for returning reservists to ensure they can complete their education on time.
What are some standout Israeli AI startups that you believe will make a global impact in the next few years?
While I don’t closely track specific startups, I can highlight several areas where Israeli AI companies are positioned to make significant global impact, specifically in light of the current circumstances: Cybersecurity, building on Israel’s well-established expertise in this domain; Healthcare and medical technology, where Israeli startups are applying AI to transform diagnostics and treatment, with a recent focus on emergency medicine; Defense and homeland security applications, leveraging operational experience to create more effective systems.
However, what distinguishes the most promising Israeli AI startups isn’t just their technical capabilities but their focus on solving meaningful problems with clear societal impact.
It’s also important for academic institutes to be agile and maintain open dialogue with industry to be aware of emerging trends and update curricula accordingly. In anticipation of the growth in AI technologies, Afeka established a new School of Data Science and Intelligent Systems to prepare graduates with the specialized skills needed for the AI-driven economy.
Afeka College recently conducted a study highlighting AI proficiency as the most sought-after skill in Israel’s high-tech sector. Were there any key findings that stood out to you, and how is Afeka adapting its curriculum to prepare students for this AI-driven job market?
Our annual Skills Index survey revealed an interesting paradox in Israel’s high-tech sector. While 55% of high-tech managers identified AI proficiency as their top personal development priority, only 7-9% currently consider it essential when hiring new employees. This suggests we’re in a transitional period where AI adoption is primarily driven by individual initiative rather than structured organizational strategies.
AI is no longer confined to specialized roles—it’s becoming a fundamental competency across virtually all high-tech positions. Yet organizations are still figuring out how to formalize these requirements.
At the same time, traditional engineering skills are still highly valued. For high-tech positions, the ability to work independently topped the list (61%), followed by problem-solving capabilities and self-directed learning.
At Afeka, we’re taking action in two ways. We’re encouraging faculty to incorporate AI concepts and tools into their courses, while strengthening our focus on foundational skills that employers consistently value.
Some courses, for example, have been completely redesigned. In our Language Processing course, students no longer write basic code that AI can easily generate. Instead, they take AI-generated code to more sophisticated levels, applying it to solve complex problems while developing a critical understanding of the technology’s limitations.
Our School of Data Science and AI addresses specialized education, but we recognize that all engineers need familiarity with AI regardless of their specialization.
Beyond technical AI skills, what other competencies (e.g., critical thinking, leadership, communication) are essential for professionals working in an AI-powered economy?
As AI capabilities grow, distinctly human abilities become more valuable, not less.
Critical thinking is perhaps the most essential skill in an AI-powered economy. When working with systems that can generate convincing but potentially flawed outputs, professionals need to carefully evaluate information, identify inconsistencies, and validate results against real-world knowledge.
Furthermore, while AI is great at pattern recognition and optimization within defined parameters, breakthrough innovations typically require creative “out-of-the-box” thinking that helps envision novel applications and approaches that AI wouldn’t generate independently.
Communication is also an important skill. Engineers are no longer confined to developing algorithms, they must explain the potential, capabilities and limitations of the technologies they develop effectively, accurately and persuasively, often to non-technical decision-makers.
With the accelerating pace of technological change, engineers need to continuously update their understanding. This has also elevated the importance of self-directed learning.
Collaboration across disciplines has also become increasingly crucial as AI applications span traditional boundaries. Engineers need to work effectively with domain experts, business strategists, and designers, integrating diverse insights to develop comprehensive solutions.
The ethical dimensions of AI development add another necessary competency. Engineers must consider the implications of their work on society, on people, on the environment, etc. identify potential biases, and make responsible design choices.
How do you see the role of engineering education evolving to ensure Israel remains a leader in AI innovation?
Competencies such as—critical thinking, creativity, communication, teamwork, self-directed learning and ethical judgment—must become central to engineering education if Israel is to maintain its leadership in AI innovation. This requires a fundamental transformation in how we prepare engineers for the workforce.
At Afeka, we’ve pioneered a competency-based educational model that begins by defining the “graduate profile”—the complete set of knowledge, professional skills, personal skills and values engineers need in the modern workplace. This profile serves as our compass, guiding all aspects of the educational experience toward developing these competencies in our students.
All elements of the graduate profile, including personal skills have been incorporated as learning outcomes of our curricula through a gradual process of increasing proficiency. We map how each course contributes to building these competencies, creating a cohesive learning journey that culminates in graduates who possess both technical expertise and the personal skills needed for professional success.
This approach represents a shift from knowledge transfer to competency development. While technical knowledge and skills remain essential, the ability to apply that knowledge in complex, real-world scenarios is what truly differentiates successful engineers. We’ve moved beyond traditional lecture formats to incorporate more project-based learning, industry collaborations, and interdisciplinary challenges that develop problem-solving abilities alongside technical skills.
The Afeka Framework for STEM Education, which we’ve developed based on our experience transforming engineering education, offers a methodology that can be applied across the educational continuum. By defining graduate profiles at each educational stage and aligning learning experiences accordingly, we can strengthen Israel’s human capital pipeline from Pre-K through professional development.
What trends do you anticipate shaping Israel’s AI industry in 2025 and beyond?
The democratization of AI development and usage will continue, enabling smaller teams to create sophisticated solutions without massive budgets. This trend plays to Israel’s traditional advantages in agility and creative problem-solving. Our innovation ecosystem thrives on small, agile teams tackling specific challenges—exactly the environment where these more accessible AI development approaches can flourish.
I expect the battlefield innovations emerging from our current conflict will influence the next wave of AI startups in Israel. As I mentioned earlier, the experience of developing technology under extreme conditions creates a unique perspective on requirements like robustness, reliability, and human-AI collaboration.
The talent landscape will evolve significantly as well. While demand for AI expertise will intensify, the definition of that expertise will broaden beyond specialized researchers to include domain experts who can effectively apply AI in their fields. This shift aligns with the gap we identified in our Skills Index between managers’ growing interest in AI and current hiring practices—we’re witnessing the beginning of a more comprehensive integration of AI across professional roles.
Finally, I expect AI to play an increasingly central role in national resilience. The recent conflict has highlighted the critical importance of technological capabilities and the need for optimal balance between humans and AI in ensuring security and maintaining essential services. We’ll likely see greater investment in AI applications that enhance infrastructure protection, emergency response, and critical systems.
Success will depend on our ability to adapt our educational systems, maintain our entrepreneurial culture, and continue developing the human capital that has always been Israel’s greatest resource.
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