Governments must introduce boundaries for artificial intelligence or risk losing control of the technology, the UAE's AI minister warned.
“We do not have time to afford to wait for this to get out of hand,” Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said at the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils in Dubai on Wednesday.
Speaking at the two-day World Economic Forum event, Mr Al Olama compared the situation to the advent of social media, with governments only now trying to tackle technology that emerged more than 15 years ago.
“So today, we're talking about the issues that social media is causing … and some of the guidelines that we are needing,” he said. “But I'd say social media was a problem in 2008, 2007 – and today we're talking about potential solutions. And we have seen the impact in politics … in mental health … in the crises we're seeing.”
Mr Al Olama stressed the need for proactive regulations to address the rapid evolution of AI and its implications for national and international security.
“If decision-makers are aware of what is happening around them, they'll be able to take the right decisions,” he said. Awareness of emerging trends is key to effective governance, he added.
“The pretext to everything that we're doing in the UAE is awareness – understanding what are the trends and what are the tides that are shifting,” he said.
Mr Al Olama emphasised the UAE's position as an agile and ambitious nation capable of attracting global talent. “In the UAE, there is a palpable sense of urgency to create the future,” he said. “You come here and you feel like there's an urgency to create the future. It is something in the air.”
Lauren Woodman, co-chairwoman of the Global Future Council on Data Equity and AI Governance, acknowledged the complexities involved in regulating AI.
“How do we make sure that we are building the right incentives in place for AI to be used for good?” she said, stressing the importance of transparency and accountability.
Mr Al Olama repeated that the challenges posed by AI are not new. He noted that technology has historically been used for beneficial and harmful purposes.
“You’re speaking about this as if it's a new phenomenon, but it's not. It's been a phenomenon since the advent of the technological age,” he said.
He called for a shift from reactive to proactive approaches in regulating AI, emphasising the need for urgency. He also highlighted the role of media in educating the public about the technology.
“The job of the media is to ensure that this is top of mind, so that there is enough of this in the public discourse, that your governments can take more action,” he said.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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