Bennett forms AI advisory committee to boost Israel's national tech policy ahead of elections

Oh, marvellous. Just in time for an election, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has dusted off the "advisory committee" playbook and slapped an "AI" label on it. The committee is tasked with crafting a long-term national AI policy for Israel — you know, because short-term electoral cycles and a revolving door of coalitions are the ideal foundation for strategic planning. One imagines the committee members, a who's-who of Israeli tech, will produce a report that elegantly side-steps any concrete commitments while offering plenty of photo ops for Bennett's campaign. The startup nation's legendary agility is about to meet the molasses of committee deliberation.

The timing is exquisitely cynical: announce a big, future-facing initiative now, let it be forgotten after the votes are counted. Israel already boasts a thriving AI sector, from cybersecurity to autonomous systems, but the government's ability to shape a coherent policy has been, shall we say, inconsistent. Adding an advisory committee is like giving a drowning man a swimming manual — technically helpful, but the real action is elsewhere. And the committee has no legislative power, no budget, just the nebulous goal of "advancing" a "long-term" vision. Bennett, no stranger to hi-tech himself, surely knows that committees are where good ideas go to be politely discussed to death.

But let's not be too harsh: a committee is at least an admission that AI policy isn't something you can wing. Whether it will amount to more than a glorified talking shop depends on whether it survives the election and whether the next government feels bound by its recommendations. Spoiler: it won't. The true impact will likely be measured in the number of selfies the committee chair can collect before the coalition collapses. So, here's to the newest addition to Israel's proud tradition of committees: long live the AI Advisory Committee — may its minutes be thorough and its influence negligible.