Last week, the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence converged on the Canadian city of Montreal for one of the biggest gatherings in their field.
On Saturday, the 2018 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) hosted a workshop titled "AI for Social Good". The assembled crowd were not treated to the usual conference staples of robot demonstrations or video presentations showcasing new algorithms that promise to revolutionise healthcare systems.
Instead, they were greeted with a solo performance by the superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, followed by a session on artificial intelligence, ethics and the arts.
The history of artificial intelligence is littered with algorithms that were supposed to mimic the most complex feats of human creativity, from problem-solving to writing poems, composing music and painting portraits.
In 2007, a new version of Glenn Gould's legendary rendition of the Bach's Goldberg Variations was released by Sony Classical. It was not a remastering from original tapes, though. Instead, a piece of software named Zenph was used to analyse the Canadian musician's 1955 performance, then translate it to an electro-acoustic Yamaha piano.
Almost a decade later, researchers at Sony used an application called Flow Machines to dissect the scores of 13,000 popular tracks and then build new melodies. After selecting the music style of The Beatles, the French composer Benoît Carré arranged and produced a piece of music for which he also wrote the lyrics. Titled “Daddy’s Car”, it has been widely credited as the first ever pop song written by artificial intelligence.
And music is not the only creative field in which AI is being used. Last year, academics at Rutgers University in New York and employees at Facebook AI Research debuted a system named Creative Adversarial Networks, which can generate visual art after studying and “learning” from pre-existing works.
Then, last month, Christies in London became the first auction house to sell an AI-generated painting. Bidding for the work, titled Portrait of Edmond Belamy, reached $432,500 – nearly 45 times its original estimate.
However, these AI-generated artworks are, at best, pale imitations of the real thing. Art resonates with human beings, because it is a vehicle for artists to express their feelings, beliefs or political ideas. Even if algorithms learn to paint exactly like Picasso, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to create anything with the power or historical weight of Guernica, nor will they be able to capture the beauty and pain of Vincent van Gough's best work.
The human brain – specifically our ability to imagine – is at the heart of the creative process. This is precisely what artificial intelligence lacks so far, and exactly what developers and engineers should be reaching for. The aim should not be for technology to generate new paintings, poems, songs and buildings that emulate those already created by human beings. Instead, the power of technology should be harnessed to offer a truly original and personalised artistic experience.
For me, this idea brings to mind the neurological condition of synaesthesia, in which sensory perceptions cross over and people are, for instance, able to smell letters or hear colours. Far from viewing it as a handicap, many with synaesthesia believe it to be a gift that allows them to experience art and the world around them with a vivid intensity that others can only dream of. AI has the potential to make us all able to touch music and smell words.
Personally speaking, I would prefer this new form of art to any computer-generated Yo-Yo Ma soundalike. After all, nothing can beat the real emotions that a performance by a virtuoso musician can evoke – for now, at least.
Professor Olivier Oullier is the president of Emotiv, a neuroscientist and a DJ
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
FIXTURES
Thursday
Dibba v Al Dhafra, Fujairah Stadium (5pm)
Al Wahda v Hatta, Al Nahyan Stadium (8pm)
Friday
Al Nasr v Ajman, Zabeel Stadium (5pm)
Al Jazria v Al Wasl, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium (8pm)
Saturday
Emirates v Al Ain, Emirates Club Stadium (5pm)
Sharjah v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Sharjah Stadium (8pm)
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
