The UAE is hosting the second edition of the Industry 4.0 and AI for Industrial Leaders training programme, which seeks to equip the country's top business professionals with practical skills to tap into artificial intelligence to support industrial growth.
The four-day programme is being offered by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
It provides decision-makers with the necessary technical knowledge to harness the power of AI in industry and aims to enhance the nation’s industrial capacity through Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, the ministry said.
“Part of our mission is to help national industrial companies unlock the full potential of 4IR solutions by bringing together the public, private and academic sectors,” said Mohammed Al Qasim, director of science and technology adoption and development at the ministry.
“By arming industrial leaders with skills and knowledge, we are boosting the country’s industrial capacity and accelerating its transformation.
“These trainings are just one part of our broad strategy to promote the adoption of advanced technology and increase the industrial sector’s contribution to national GDP [gross domestic product].”
The Industry 4.0 initiative, launched by the ministry last year as part of the Projects of the 50, is designed to accelerate the integration of 4IR solutions and applications — such as cloud, AI and the Internet of Things — across the country’s industrial sector.
It is expected to improve the UAE’s overall industrial competitiveness, drive down costs, increase productivity and efficiency, improve safety and create new jobs.
The initiative aims to boost manufacturing by 30 per cent and add Dh25 billion ($6.8bn) to the country's economy by 2031.
The training programme's objectives are aligned with the Industry 4.0 initiative, the ministry said.
The group of participants, which includes leaders from different industry verticals, was asked to frame four industrial challenges and create solutions using Industry 4.0 and AI technologies.
“Programmes such as these are helping leaders to understand the importance of AI systems in improving the quality of industrial inputs and increasing regional and international competitiveness,” said Sultan Al Hajji, vice president for public affairs and alumni relations at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
“AI today has a significant impact on every industry, from product development to manufacturing to service delivery and policymaking.
“AI has become an integral tool for the delivery of the national priorities and vision in line with the UAE’s AI Strategy, to become the world leader in AI by 2031.”
Experts from the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office, the ministry, the university, telecoms company e&, energy services company Schneider Electric and consumer goods firm Unilever offered input for this year’s training programme, the statement added.
