UAE leading world in AI implementation: Emirati minister

DAVOS: The UAE is leading the world in AI technology and implementation, Emirati Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar Al-Olama told the World Economic Forum on Tuesday.

He noted that while there was ignorance in governments when it came to AI, the UAE was working toward building a responsible AI nation – something he referred to as “Brain.”

Also speaking at the annual event in Davos, Switzerland, Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, told delegates that the industry was expected to generate $4 trillion in revenue by 2029.

“Governments can learn from how the UAE is implementing AI. We want to deploy AI in oil and gas, increasing the quality of life and reducing the dangers of climate change, while working on reducing the stigma of AI globally,” he said.

Al-Olama said that the UAE’s data pool was unique and could deepen understanding of AI.

“We have 200 nationalities living in a densely populated area which allows for our data to be unique, and we have cutting edge infrastructure, and our regulatory regime allows for us to move much faster than a country with more bureaucracy,” he added.

The minister pointed out that AI would aid countries to compete with global giants and emphasized the importance of implementing the technology.

“No dictionary will tell you the difference between complete and finish, but I will. If you use AI, you will be complete, if you don’t then you will be finished, if you don’t and ignore it, you will be completely finished,” Al-Olama said.

Krishna said the technology should not be overregulated.

“Don’t regulate the technology, regulate the use so innovation isn’t stopped. Hold developers of the AI model accountable from a legal sense. Foster an open economic ecosystem not a closed ecosystem,” he added.

Negative stigmas surrounding AI ending the world were dismissed during the session and job security was addressed.

Cristiano Amon, the CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated, noted that AI would become a part of everything people do.

“AI can be seen as an assistant not a competitor. Even on a personal level, AI can help us do small tasks like staying organized with our appointments,” he added.