Guests entertained by a robot at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) inaugural commencement ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Guests entertained by a robot at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) inaugural commencement ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Guests entertained by a robot at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) inaugural commencement ceremony in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
May 01, 2023
Napoleon was not known for being a good loser. But in 1809, when he was defeated (several times, in fact) by a machine in a game of chess, he reacted with uncharacteristic amusement. Contrast that with the alarm that has been expressed by tech experts in recent weeks over the near certainty with which they estimate we have entered the age of artificial intelligence, and you may wonder how the French emperor was so calm.
For one thing, although Napoleon couldn’t be sure of it at the time, the machine that beat him, the “Mechanical Turk”, was little more than a confidence trick – a wooden box with fake gears that concealed a human chess playerpulling levers in a hidden compartment. For another, there was no widespread fear in early 19th century Europe more Mechanical Turks were out there, poised to render humans unemployed or even entirely servile.
We are still at a moment in history where there are plenty of things only humans can do, or at least do at a lower cost. And even the rise of AI, so far, has seemingly created more jobs than it has destroyed. So-called “human-intelligence tasks” – from moderating social media posts to identifying objects in blurry photographs – are big business for multinational tech firms looking to use them to train algorithms. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world work part-time to carry them out (many of them employed through an Amazon-owned service called Mechanical Turk).
But many experts fear that the scope of human-only work is fast diminishing. Companies like OpenAI (the firm behind the renowned chatbot ChatGPT) and Google’s DeepMind have brought us ever nearer to a tipping point where AI will permanently define humanity’s future.
Ensuring that our development of AI does not ultimately come at our expense is a challenge that AI ethicists refer to as the “alignment problem”: how can we align AI’s goals with what’s best for us, and harness its power for human flourishing?
We are still at a moment in history where there are plenty of things only humans can do
Broadly speaking, solving alignment will require much more global co-operation. Gary Marcus, an emeritus professor at New York University, and Anka Reuel, a doctoral student at Stanford, have called for the creation of an international agency for artificial intelligence. Given wildly disparate approaches to the technology as things stand, getting everyone on the same page makes sense.
But in a narrower sense, individual countries can establish their own public infrastructure devoted to putting AI near the top of the national agenda – not only to regulate it, but also to bring its most beneficial qualities to life. Too few are doing this. However, an excellent template can be found in the UAE, which rolled out a national AI strategy back in 2017 and today has both a ministerial portfolio and a public university devoted to understanding AI (two world firsts).
On Saturday, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Al Jaber said during a visit to Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, where he is chairman, that the country’s artificial intelligence research and its adoption across industries will be critical not only in achieving the country’s economic diversification goals, but also in helping it combat climate change.
Partnering with the private sector is an important part of the UAE’s AI strategy. Dr Al Jaber was joined in his visit by Peng Xiao, chief executive of G42, an AI company, and was updated on a joint project between MBZUAI and computer company IBM that will use data engines to help Abu Dhabi emirate hone its climate policies.
But the defining quality of the UAE’s vision as a global hub for AI research and development is that it views progress in this area fundamentally through the lens of the public good. Building a coherent AI strategy and designing the national infrastructure necessary to achieve it is a critical first step in solving the alignment problem, and to ensuring that however astonishing the technology becomes, the levers remain pulled by humans.
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
