Artificial intelligence is becoming “more of a lifestyle” and is moving from offices to homes, the chief executive of UAE-based AI major G42 has said.
The home of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, National Security Adviser and G42 chairman, is one example of AI's influence on everyday life, Peng Xiao said during a panel discussion at the Gitex Global technology exhibition in Dubai on Tuesday.
A Japanese compound – with traditional indoor and outdoor living spaces – within the residence overlooking the sea was built in less than a year with the help of ChatGPT, he said.
“The reason why it was so fast in delivery is because the entire design was done with him personally prompting ChatGPT 500 times to design this … and I'm not kidding you, it's real,” Mr Xiao said.
“In addition to this strategically designed compound in Abu Dhabi, if you visit the office of my chairman, you won't see too many employees, because there's a 10-to-one ratio of AI agents working in his office,” he added.
However, he stressed that people remain at the centre of progress, adding that the use of AI agents is a “powerful productivity boost”.
“I think the future is here today. If your home is designed by ChatGPT, if you have more agents working for you than humans, AI has already arrived and [is an] integral part of our everyday life,” Mr Xiao said.
AI adoption is growing at a phenomenal pace globally, with countries such as the UAE fuelling its rapid ascend.
In June, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced that the UAE’s National Artificial Intelligence System would become an advisory member of the Cabinet from January 2026.
The system will support decision-making, provide technical analysis and improve policy efficiency.
A month later, Sheikh Mohammed unveiled a federal strategy cycle designed to put AI at the core of government planning and service delivery.
Abu Dhabi is also committing significant funding to ensure its AI strategy's success. About Dh13 billion ($3.53 billion) is being allocated between this year and 2027 to foster innovation and drive AI adoption across government departments.
“We think every country is going to need to have an AI strategy, and it's got to be a top priority for national leadership,” Sam Altman, co-founder and chief executive of OpenAI, told delegates on Tuesday.
“The leadership of UAE on this has been incredible to see. I hope this will serve as an example for the rest of the world about what it looks like for a forward-thinking country to really embrace AI and say: 'This is going to be an important part of our future.'”
'Wave of AI transformation'
In May, G42 teamed up with OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia to set up Stargate UAE, a one-gigawatt computing cluster that will operate in the emirate's 5GW UAE-US AI Campus. Cisco and Japan's SoftBank Group are also collaborating on the computing cluster.
Speaking at a separate panel discussion at Gitex on Tuesday, Andrew Jackson, group chief AI officer at G42, said that about 300 megawatts of compute will be up and running by next year, starting the “first wave of transformation”.
Compute relates to the resources needed for AI systems to function, including training models, processing data, and making predictions and giving answers.
“I think we're going to be getting up and running [by next year], and I think by then, we'll have already started a lot of the transformational work,” Mr Jackson said.
Meanwhile, UAE-based Khazna Data Centres, which is delivering the infrastructure layer for Stargate UAE, announced plans on Tuesday to expand operational capacity by more than 1 gigawatt over the next five years. More than 400MW of new capacity will be delivered in key international markets including Saudi Arabia and Italy, it added.
In the UAE, Khazna is developing several new projects, including hyperscale facilities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ajman.
Last month, the company said it secured a 10-year, $2.62 billion financing facility from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank to support its expansion plans.
"As the world enters an era defined by AI and digital economies, infrastructure is becoming the catalyst for national transformation,” said Hassan Alnaqbi, chief executive of Khazna Data Centres.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rob%20Marshall%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHalle%20Bailey%2C%20Jonah%20Hauer-King%2C%20Melissa%20McCarthy%2C%20Javier%20Bardem%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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