Sophia, the first robot in the world to be given a country's citizenship, will be in Dubai on March 8 at the Annual Regional Audit Conference.
The social humanoid will take part in an interactive session on the future of artificial intelligence.
The participation of Sophia, who was created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, is part of the conference's efforts to highlight the role of AI in the future of the auditing industry, the UAE Internal Auditors Association said on Saturday.
"The organisers facilitated Sophia's presence at the smart conference as a symbol of the future of artificial intelligence," the association said.
Various industries are increasingly adopting AI applications, which significantly streamline and automate processes, whether independently or with the aid of humans.
Investing in AI helps to improve audit quality and reduces fees, a study by the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business has shown. It does, however, acknowledge that the technology would ultimately displace human auditors, although the effect on labour takes several years to materialise.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four accounting and auditing firms, last June announced plans to invest $12 billion in AI and cyber security through 2026, a move that includes hiring more than 100,000 people.
Ernst & Young, meanwhile, pledged last September that it will spend around $10bn in the next three years to boost the quality of its audits in the aftermath of scandals that included the fraud-marred collapse of German payments group Wirecard. The record spending includes training its staff to detect fraud.
Overall, the global AI market size was valued at $51.08bn in 2020 and is expected to hit $641.30bn by 2028, growing at a compound annual rate of 36.1 per cent from 2021 to 2028, Verified Market Research has said.
The regional audit conference will be held from March 7-9 at Dubai World Trade Centre, with Sophia conducting the AI session on the second day. Apart from AI, the event will also focus on cyber security, digitalisation of information security and other relevant auditing topics.
The conference is sponsored by Sharjah's Bee'ah Group, US-based consultancy Protiviti, and Big Four members PwC and KPMG.
The conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to receive more than 22 continuing professional education credits, or CPE, which are points professionals receive for participating in specialised training. More than 40 international speakers, leaders and authors will be participating in over 40 sessions.
Sophia, modelled after British actress Audrey Hepburn, Egyptian queen Nefertiti and its inventor's wife, Amanda Hanson, was given Saudi citizenship in October 2017.
A month later, the UN Development Programme named the robot its first Innovation Champion, the first non-human to be granted a UN title.
She is described as "a unique combination of science, engineering and artistry, a human-crafted science fiction character depicting the future of AI and robotics, and a platform for advanced robotics and AI research", Hanson says on its website.
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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EA Sports FC 26
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Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
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Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
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West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
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Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
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Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
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Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
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Uefa Champions League, Group B
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
