Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised high-tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, who holds the first reserved slot in Likud, that he would be appointed as the minister responsible for artificial intelligence (AI) if Netanyahu forms the next government, Walla learned on Tuesday.
This decision aligns with Netanyahu’s strategy to highlight artificial intelligence (AI) as a central theme in the upcoming election campaign.
In addition to addressing diplomatic, security, and economic matters, Netanyahu aims to showcase AI as a significant driver of economic growth and an area where Israel needs to compete with leading countries around the world.
The prime minister has emphasized the importance of advancing AI and reinforcing Israel’s standing in the global technology race.
Netanyahu’s interest in the field is not new. In June 2023, after speaking with Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Netanyahu declared, “We will turn Israel into a global artificial intelligence power.”
The dawn of a new AI era
During his conversation with Musk, Netanyahu said humanity was at “the dawn of a new era,” the era of AI. He stressed that the changes were taking place rapidly and that Israel needed to formulate a national policy on the issue.
Likud announced on Monday that Dobronsky would receive the party’s first reserved spot on its slate ahead of the Knesset election. Dobronsky is an entrepreneur and businessman who was among the founders of high-tech company Hotbar and spent years working in Silicon Valley.
In a statement, Likud said Dobronsky, whom the party describes as right-wing, would be part of the “Likud team.” The party said that after the election, he is expected to lead efforts involving artificial intelligence in the economy, education, medicine, finance, and other sectors.
Dobronsky attacks Trump on X
Shortly after his reserved spot on the slate was announced, it emerged that about two months earlier, Dobronsky had attacked US President Donald Trump in a post on X, calling him “a morally corrupt person.”
“Put aside for a moment the question of whether the agreement with Iran is good or bad,” the businessman wrote. “In what world is it normal not to invite to the negotiating table the ally that fought shoulder to shoulder with you?”
He added, “Trump not only did not invite Israel to the negotiating table, but he did not even share the text of the agreement itself with it? What kind of morally corrupt person treats an ally like that?”
Later that evening, following the media uproar, Dobronsky issued an apology to the US president.
“President Trump is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. I have posted in his favor countless times. On one occasion, without knowing all the facts, I lost my temper and posted something I regret. I apologize to President Trump, whom I admire from the bottom of my heart.”
