Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company ADQ has partnered with Switzerland's artificial intelligence solutions provider EQTY Lab for artificial intelligence-driven climate solutions.
The collaboration between the companies began in 2023 with the launch of ClimateGPT, an open-source AI model designed to address climate change and sustainability challenges, according to a statement.
The partnership will involve deploying the AI Integrity Suite from EQTY Lab, which ensures the reliability, security and transparency of ADQ's AI models.
"The AI Integrity Suite is our flagship product, and we're implementing it with ADQ. We're directly integrating the solution into the deployment of ClimateGPT, " Jonathan Dotan, Founder of EQTY Lab, shared with The National.
Mr Dotan explained that the AI Integrity Suite ensures transparency throughout the model development process. It allows users to verify the origin of the data used to train the model and the code utilized for fine-tuning.
He added that the solution guarantees the integrity of the model's outputs, providing clarity on the model’s sources and ensuring compliance with proper governance standards.
With ClimateGPT, a tool powered by Erasmus and trained by Apptek, researchers, policymakers and business leaders can drive resilient climate action.
Mr Dotan explained that the Climate GPT model is designed to process and analyse thousands of high-quality scientific research articles. This allows users—such as experts and companies developing ESG strategies—to ask specific questions and receive concise, accurate answers drawn from these reputable sources, he added.
ClimateGPT operates on renewable energy at Al Dhafra Solar PV in Abu Dhabi, the world's largest single-site solar plant.
ADQ and its portfolio companies – Adnec Group, Etihad Rail, Taqa and Masdar – will be the first to deploy this technology in the UAE, the statement said.
ClimateGPT also supports the research and execution of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. For example, Masdar uses the model to analyse emerging renewable energy solutions and co-author articles that drive efficiencies.
Adnec has also implemented the model to build a custom global research library, enhancing the group's efforts in ESG research.
Mr Dotan also emphasised that he does not intend for the Climate GPT model to become a mainstream tool millions use. "It's a very specialized tool that was built for senior analysts, researchers, and the scientific community to come together to get the most cutting-edge, evolved AI for climate change," he explained.
ClimateGPT joins a broader trend of AI models being used to combat climate change.
Last year, Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi launched Jais Climate, the world's first bilingual language model dedicated to climate intelligence.
A partnership between Core42, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based technology holding company G42, and the university led to the development of the large language model (LLM), which focuses on climate, sustainability and Cop28.
According to MBZUAI and Core42, Jais Climate includes 1.4 million climate-related instructions, and it was trained on ClimaInstruct, the largest bilingual data set on climate and sustainability topics.
The LLM was created using sources and climate information in English and Arabic. Jais refers to the UAE's highest peak, Ras Al Khaimah.
According to MBZUAI and Core42, Jais Climate will make climate data accessible to more than 274 million Arabic and 1.4 billion English speakers worldwide.
Globally, a specialised AI known as ChatClimate, similar to ChatGPT, was developed by researchers at the University of Zurich last year.
According to a study, ChatClimate is a conversational AI designed to enhance the accuracy and relevance of LLMs in climate change. It draws on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report.
A PwC study on the potential impact of AI in the Middle East finds that AI is expected to significantly contribute to the broader region's gross domestic product, with the UAE projected to see a 14 per cent increase in its GDP.
Construction, manufacturing, energy, utilities and public sectors are poised to experience the most significant economic impact as AI drives substantial innovation and growth, the study found.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
