Technological advances mean robots are being increasingly trained and programmed to do the jobs of humans. Getty Images
Technological advances mean robots are being increasingly trained and programmed to do the jobs of humans. Getty Images
Technological advances mean robots are being increasingly trained and programmed to do the jobs of humans. Getty Images
Technological advances mean robots are being increasingly trained and programmed to do the jobs of humans. Getty Images

Rise of AI creates job worries, UAE survey finds


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

More than half of UAE workers worry they will lose their jobs to robots or artificial intelligence over the next 10 years, a survey found.

The poll of about 1,000 residents revealed younger people are more concerned about how advancing technology will influence their career prospects.

The study, carried out by communications advisers duke+mir, in association with YouGov, asked people how they believed AI will affect their lives.

Fifty-five per cent said they worried their roles would be replaced by AI or robots by 2033.

It has opened our eyes to a new challenge, but it will depend on who is teaching the AI to determine if it will become smart, or stupid
Arif Aljanahi,
Security Industry Regulatory Industry, Dubai Government

About 24 per cent people were unsure and 21 per cent were not afraid of their roles being replaced by technology.

Sixty per cent Emiratis were concerned by AI and robots replacing their roles as compared to 45 per cent of their western expatriates.

“With such a strong focus from the UAE government on providing and protecting Emirati jobs both now and in the future, it’s quite unexpected to see the youth and Emiratis of the UAE being the most concerned about future technological advancements,” said Jonathan Ivan-Duke, co-founder and partner at duke+mir.

“As one of the world’s most forward-thinking nations when it comes to innovation, citizens and residents are used to new technologies being unveiled within the Emirates. They just want to make sure that it’s not going to replace them.”

The survey found 66 per cent of people under 25 were fearful AI and robots will come for their jobs in the next decade, compared to 57 per cent of those in the age-group of 25 to 44 and just 43 per cent of those aged 45 and older were concerned.

The surveyors pointed at the opportunity for the private sector and public institutions to offer more education on the potential benefits of AI and robotics.

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It is not just the much discussed ChatGPT text generator bot that is utilising AI to bypass human involvement.

The Stockimg AI app creates images and posters in seconds, while the runwayml.com website can create an AI powered video out of a simple idea.

The UAE government is driving ambitious plans to establish the country as a global AI hub.

In 2017, the UAE appointed Omar Al Olama as its first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and later adopted the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 to promote the growth of the cutting-edge technology.

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi was established in 2019 to develop the skills of top talent from across the world to lead workplaces of the future.

At the start of the year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced the D33 Dubai Economic Agenda.

It aims to double Dubai’s economy over the next decade, with a key objective of generating new economic value from the digital transformation and a shift towards increasing the use of AI.

The plan aims to sustain growth of Dh100 billion a year.

As cities become more intelligent by utilising technology, they become more efficient and generate huge amounts of data to enable governments to improve services.

Human interaction remains crucial

Although AI is playing a key role in how data from smart cities is used, human interaction will play a critical role according to Arif Aljanahi, security engineering department director of the Security Industry Regulatory Agency, which was set up by the Dubai government.

“A key point that people do not consider about AI is that it depends on the information that is being fed to the algorithm,” said Mr Aljanahi at the Security Leaders summit at the Intersec conference in Dubai.

“The biggest challenge we have is converting the meta data.

“The success of AI depends on who is teaching the system. AI can be used in a good way, and also in a bad way.

“We do not know yet what is going to happen with it in the future.

“It has opened our eyes to a new challenge, but it will depend on who is teaching the AI to determine if it will become smart, or stupid.

“It is like a small child, if you give it the wrong information, it will start on the wrong path," he said.

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The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Racecard
%3Cp%3E6pm%3A%20The%20Madjani%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh97%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C900m%3Cbr%3E6.35pm%3A%20Graduate%20Stakes%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20Dh100%2C000%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.10pm%3A%20Longines%20Dolcevita%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E7.45pm%3A%20Longines%20Legend%20Driver%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E8.20pm%3A%20Longines%20Master%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E8.55pm%3A%20Longines%20Record%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%202%2C200m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Longines%20Spirit%20Collection%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

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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

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 760Nm

Price: Dh898,000

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
england euro squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20EA%20Vancouver%2C%20EA%20Romania%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20EA%20Sports%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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 

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.

Updated: February 06, 2023, 8:57 AM`