The UAE's artificial intelligence minister on Wednesday said the rapid rise of the high-tech tool will “change the media sector”, but pledged that it would create, rather than cost jobs in the industry if fully embraced.
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, told Dubai's Arab Media Forum that journalists who will “adopt and use AI” have nothing to fear from a fast-changing media landscape.
Mr Al Olama, who was appointed the world's first AI minister in 2017, addressed concerns that the technology could be used to manipulate public opinion, amid the spread of increasingly sophisticated deepfakes.
“AI will change the media sector in the future. It will provide big potential for the media sector,” said Mr Al Olama during a panel discussion at the event, held at Dubai World Trade Centre.
“Journalists should follow the pace of AI developments to develop their performance and take advantage from the capabilities of technology in content creation.”
The forum explored the prospect of AI systems being used to perform tasks previously performed by employees, leading to job cuts in reporting, video editing, and graphic design.
According to a Goldman Sachs report published last year, the new wave of AI systems may also affect employment markets around the world. It warned that workflow shifts triggered by these advances may result in 300 million full-time jobs being lost to automation.
“Losing jobs or creating jobs in the media sector in the future will depend on the people working in the sector. The one who adopts and uses AI tools in the job will not lose the job,” said Mr Al Olama.
“We should have a positive vision as AI will boost productivity and will create more jobs.
“We are witnessing the first phase of changing in the media sector. In the future, we can create content or script by using AI engines.”
Regulating AI
Al Olama said the UAE was among the first countries to draw up legislation to govern the proper use of AI.
“We know there is fear about the use of AI to manipulate public opinion such as in the US with the presidential election,” he said.
“In the UAE, we have advanced legislation to regulate the use of AI and prevent using AI in defaming or promoting immoral content or illegal use of AI technology.”
Mohamed Al Mulla, chief executive of Arab Media Group, which operates the Arabian Network as well as the Global Village, said the youthful demographic of the region was a vital consideration in delivering media coverage.
“About 60 per cent of the future jobs in the media sector will require digital and tech skills,” Mr Al Mulla said.
Wael BouBaker, 27, a Tunisian graduate in media and communication who is now studying for a master's degree in media in the UK, said the media is undergoing a transition from traditional forms of news gathering to a digital age.
“We are living in an era where we have a lot of conflicts and climate change problems. The problem is with fake news,” Mr BouBaker told The National.
“We are moving from mainstream media to the digital media as people can see and get their news from their phones. Digital media is the media of the future.”
He said media outlets must move with the times to ensure readers can identify fake news from the real thing.
“Media need to educate people in the way to detect fake news. Governments should raise awareness about how to spot fake news and people should know which platform to collect the real news.”
Moving with the times
The Associated Press was one of the first to use AI technology in 2014.
Its business desk began automating stories about corporate profits to free up its journalists to focus on more in-depth reporting.
According to a study the news outlet conducted, 70 per cent of respondents said they use AI for content production.
A Kuwaiti media outlet made headlines after creating a virtual news presenter using AI.
“Fedha” debuted on the Twitter account of Kuwait News, an affiliate of the Kuwait Times, last year.
Abdullah Boftain, deputy editor-in-chief for Kuwait News, told AFP news agency that the move tested AI's potential to offer “new and innovative content.”
The potential pitfalls of AI's influence were, however, made clear by a scandal involving Sports Illustrated last year.
Technology website Futurism reported that the US outlet, founded in the 1950s, had published articles generated by AI, using fake author names.
Sports Illustrated disputed the report but said an internal investigation had been launched.
The Arab Media Forum, part of the three-day Arab Media Summit, ends on Wednesday.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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THREE
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Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The%20specs
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