Matt Brittin, president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is upbeat about the future of artificial intelligence and believes “it's a really interesting moment, the promise of AI, we can start to see for the first time, and it's up to all of us to harness its potential for good”.
Speaking to The National in Davos, Mr Brittin spoke about the results of a poll released by Google today highlighting that the majority of people globally see the benefits of AI.
As AI plays a greater role in various aspects of life, including work and education, “we really want to engage on these issues, and that's why we're trying to bring things like people's opinions into the room alongside the experts, alongside governments”, which is also why Google has a large presence at the World Economic Forum annual meeting here.
Mr Brittin sees AI as playing a defining role across people’s lives, and told The National: “It is going to give us special powers that we didn't think we could have had and in our lifetimes. Even in the next five years, I think we'll be doing things we didn't think we could have dreamed up before.”
He added that while challenges exist, “we should be optimistic, but also keep our eyes wide open about our responsibilities to get this right”.
Under the title of “Our life with AI”, Google surveyed 17,000 people in 17 countries about what they knew about AI and how they felt about it.
“Interestingly on average, something over 70 per cent of people felt like AI was going to be a force for good in their lives over the next five years,” Mr Brittin said.
The main results of the survey show that the majority of people saw that “AI was changing the way they learn, the way they work, discover information, but also in health and disease research and treatment”.
And while general sentiment was positive, “about the most positive were [in the] UAE, where three-quarters of people were saying they saw AI as a force for good in their lives over the coming years. And more than 90 per cent of the UAE would benefit itself from implementing AI”, Mr Brittin said.
Interestingly, respondents to the report from the US were the least optimistic about AI, where 41 per cent thought it was having a positive impact on how they work while that figure was 71 per cent in emerging markets.
Mr Brittin said AI had “a terrible brand, really. AI sounds like some kind of Star Wars thing”, but many people use it, for example, in Google Search, Translate or YouTube.
However, it is “the advent of the Chatbot and that kind of generative AI that we've seen that sort of open people's minds … and what they see is a tool that allows them to be smarter and do things faster”.
The use of generative AI and its role in creative production “really changes the game, particularly for people from disadvantaged or lower educational backgrounds”, said Mr Brittin, who remarked that it was “really exciting” to see how they could benefit from it.
He dismissed the idea that AI would replace people in jobs.
“All of the research and the early signs are that, in most cases, you're going to be competing against somebody using AI”, he said.
As such, Mr Brittin said “what you want to do is get access to AI and learn how to use it. It's our job to make it as simple as possible for you”.
With access to AI and its use to improve efficiencies and develop new roles “my sense is that in most cases, what we'll see is jobs changing a bit. You'll see people put time into more stuff that only humans can do”, he said.
However, that access to AI is varied across societies and countries.
“We also need to be conscious that we shouldn't leave people behind”, Mr Brittin said, adding that a comprehensive approach was needed.
“One of the things that comes out in the survey is that people want governments and tech companies to work together to make sure AI is safe and responsible, and to make sure that nobody is left behind.”
Mr Brittin pointed to the skilling up that Google does in the region.
“One of the things I'm proud of is our work we've done in Maharat and Google across the Middle East and North Africa. We've trained over 1.5 million people in digital skills to sort of lower the concerns that it's not for me, and actually help them to see how to use these technologies productively in their working lives,” he said.
Having said that, technology companies themselves are going through major changes and 2023 witnessed lay offs from major companies, including Google, which announced new job losses earlier this month.
Asked about these redundancies, Mr Brittin said “the main thing that's going on is we are focusing on AI. And focusing on the innovations, we've talked about building AI responsibility at pace in order to do all the things that we've just been discussing, and that means shifting people and focuses”.
“Inevitably, that means changing how we're organised moving people into these kinds of project areas,” he said.
“And sometimes that means that we have to make unfortunate restructurings, which means some people leave the business.”
He went on to discuss the speed of change, stating that it was “normal for an innovation company to constantly redeploy and change. And that's what we're doing”.
On the long-term benefits of AI, Mr Brittin said there were “two ways to think about the AI innovation arena – the extraordinary and then turning that into the everyday”.
Among the extraordinary is AlphaFold, a protein structure database developed by DeepMind, according to Mr Brittin – “a billion years of progress in a matter of months – and then we made that available for free to anyone doing this kind of research. And now we've got something like 1.6 million people using those tools”.
With an AI system that predicts a protein’s 3D structure from its amino acid sequence, “you can put all that effort into the drug discovery … that's absolutely revolutionary”.
Mr Brittin touts that as an example of extraordinary innovation.
Then there are “the everyday things like eco-friendly routing on Google Maps, which is saving huge amounts of emissions, or the Nest thermostat [that] saves over 100 billion kilowatt hours of energy used in homes, just by tuning to how you want to heat your home”.
Ultimately, the two combined is how Mr Brittin sees the benefits of AI unfold.
However, among the concerns around AI is misinformation and how people can be informed if the sources of information used in generative AI cannot be stood up.
He adds that when it comes to search “we're trying to get people-accurate, or authoritative, answers to things”.
“And that's one of the reasons we partner so closely with media organisations because we want to make sure that quality content can be found and be funded. And so, we've learnt a lot over the years of running Google Search and YouTube and other projects about how to think about factuality,” he said.
He went on to say one of the reasons Google had been “more cautious than other organisations” in launching Bard, their generative AI tool was “because people want to rely on Google”.
In approaching these issues, Mr Brittin said Google wants to be bold, responsible and collaborative.
“Being bold, really trying to find the innovations like Alpha Fold that can be breakthrough [tech], being responsible, making sure we think about safety from the start, and then doing it together,” he said.
He stressed that innovation was a “team sport and it's not for us to settle the standards we engaged with. That's why I'm here at Davos, [to] engage with policymakers, businesses, media, organisations, NGOs, to think about what responsibility looks like in this really important new field”.
On whose responsibility it is to ensure the safety of AI and its uses, Mr Brittin clarified that “ultimately, governments set the laws … and, of course, everybody [who] operates in a country has to respect those laws, and rightly so”.
However, he added that “it's a team sport, and you need governments, companies and communities working together”.
One of the results of the Google survey, conducted with Ipsos, is that most people trust academic institutions and companies more than governments, with some exceptions, including the UAE.
Mr Brittin said the high level of trust in AI and in the government was “because the government has been talking about this for so long, people have a high degree of trust in the government as well”.
The UAE was the first country to appoint a Minister of AI, Omar Al Olama, in 2017.
Mr Brittin stressed that AI was a “a new technology and we don't know fully how it's going to be used. That's exciting but we need to kind of really make sure we understand how it can be misused, and work together – governments, tech companies, society – to address those challenges”.
One risk he sees is that AI could “lift the richest and the most educated, and we need to make sure this is for everyone”.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The%20Afghan%20connection
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SHAITTAN
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
EU's%2020-point%20migration%20plan
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
more from Janine di Giovanni
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELEADING%20RUN%20SCORERS%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1%20Nicholas%20Pooran%2C%20261%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E2%20Muhammad%20Waseem%20(UAE)%2C%20248%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E3%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20244%3Cbr%3E4%20Johnson%20Charles%2C%20232%3Cbr%3E5%20Kusal%20Perera%2C%20230%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBEST%20BOWLING%20AVERAGE%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E(minimum%2010%20overs%20bowled)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E1%20Zuhaib%20Zubair%20(UAE)%2C%209%20wickets%20at%2012.44%3Cbr%3E2%20Mohammed%20Rohid%20(UAE)%2C%207%20at%2013.00%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E3%20Fazalhaq%20Farooqi%2C%2017%20at%2013.05%3Cbr%3E4%20Waqar%20Salamkheil%2C%2010%20at%2014.08%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E5%20Aayan%20Khan%20(UAE)%2C%204%20at%2015.50%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E6%20Wanindu%20Hasaranga%2C%2012%20at%2016.25%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7%20Mohammed%20Jawadullah%20(UAE)%2C%2010%20at%2017.00%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Overall standings
1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,
2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.
3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:23.
4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/CAN) 0:29.
5. Mikel Landa (ESP/SKY) 1:17.
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
HAJJAN
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