The future of artificial intelligence will be decided by Dubai's tech unicorns and technology experts – not bureaucrats, Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said on Wednesday.
In his keynote speech at the opening of the Dubai AI and Web3 Festival, the minister said: “The future of AI will not be determined by technocrats and bureaucrats like myself.
“It will be decided by the people in this room, the [tech] unicorns who decided to call Dubai home, by technology experts who appreciate the speed of our government and the openness this country has.”
He told the entrepreneurs, founders and established technology leaders attending the two-day festival: “Our job is to enable you, our job is to ensure you're able to use Dubai and the UAE as a springboard to make global companies that will make global impact and change the future.”
Mr Al Olama said that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, was not trying to “out-compete” companies or researchers on AI, but is instead focused on how AI can be applied to everyday life.
“We want to be the fastest country and fastest city to deploy AI for a good quality of life and to deploy AI to make more effective decision-making,” he told the event at Madinat Jumeirah.
Mr Al Olama, appointed as UAE's first AI minister in 2017, also spoke about the need to work with other countries around the world to ensure that AI develops in a safe manner that alleviates some of the fears, for example around labour disruption and potential misuse of the burgeoning technology.
“Your children and grandchildren will either thank us or blame us for the decisions we make in this day and age in what this technology is allowed to do and what this technology is used for,” he said.
Collective action and collaboration, he said, have been and will continue to be areas of focus as the UAE seeks to be a leader in both artificial intelligence innovation and regulation.
He referred to the US announcement of voluntary requirements for companies on artificial intelligence and its ambitions to have chief AI officers in every government agency.
“The direct action and reaction that the UAE and Dubai took specifically is that chief AI officers were identified, assessed and appointed in less than one month,” he said, saying such actions show how the UAE adapts and reacts quickly to ideas.
While AI might seem to be on the tip of every tongue in 2024, the UAE has long sought to be a significant player in the sector, both in terms of technology start-ups and government policy.
In 2019, the country announced Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first dedicated artificial intelligence university.
Earlier this year, Sam Altman, founder and chief executive of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, told the World Government Summit that the UAE would be well positioned to be a leader in discussions about a hypothetical global AI watchdog system.
The country also recently became the first in the Arab world to join 49 other nations in the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group, which is dedicated to AI safety and security.
It has also sought to ensure aspects of Arabic culture are not left behind by the initial AI surge in which most large language models were based on English-language data. Jais 70B, an LLM, delivers Arabic-English capabilities at an unprecedented size and scale.
Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence and cloud company G42 also recently helped to culturally broaden the AI landscape with the launch of a Hindi large language model.
Attendees at the AI & Web3 Festival include representatives from Microsoft, Meta, Google and Builder.ai and other companies. Government organisations such as Dubai Police, Dubai Digital Authority and the Ministry of Innovation are also taking part.
While artificial intelligence is a major theme at the event, blockchain, decentralisation and technology openness – often collectively falling under the banner of Web3 – are also on the agenda and feature throughout the exhibition booths.
Mr Al Olama also mentioned Tuesday's US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during his speech.
“I typically am not nervous of speaking in front of crowds but, to be honest, I understand the monumental task of trying to compete for your attention following the presidential debate that took place a few hours ago,” he said, prompting laughter from the audience.
“Who knows what that means for each and every individual, each company and countries around the world.”
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
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HOW TO WATCH
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How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
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Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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Lexus LX700h specs
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
6.30pm: Liwa Oaisi Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
The National selections: 5pm: Flit Al Maury, 5.30pm: Sadah, 6pm: RB Seqondtonone, 6.30pm: RB Money To Burn, 7pm: SS Jalmood, 7.30pm: Dalaalaat
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NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
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