Abu Dhabi's new smart mobility hub; OpenAI partners with G42
Abu Dhabi's new smart mobility hub; OpenAI partners with G42
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
What an incredible week in the UAE, as GITEX Global, now the largest technology event in the world, takes over Dubai, and Abu Dhabi issues a series of big mobility announcements establishing the new Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industry cluster. And more news that I could possibly fit in this newsletter today!
This week’s news includes the release of clinical LLM under an open-access licence by Abu Dhabi healthcare group M42; OpenAI’s new partnership with G42; a new Institute of Foundation Models launched by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence; and a new autonomous store from Etisalat UAE.
Meanwhile, I’ll be hosting Middle East AI News LIVE on LinkedIn at 12 noon KSA | 1pm UAE time | 9am GMT today!
This week, I’m looking forward to talking to Dr. Shadab Khan, Director of AI and Applied Science at M42 about Med42, a new 40 billion parameter clinical large language model developed in Abu Dhabi. We’ll be discussing the AI model, the implications for the future of healthcare and how M42 expects the new LLM to be used by doctors, patients, developers and researchers.
And, click here to attend Middle East AI News LIVE.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
PS I will aim to publish a GITEX wrap-up somewhere over the weekend!
Mobility
Abu Dhabi anchor deals for new mobility hub
#UAE #mobility - Abu Dhabi has followed last week’s launch of the new Smart & Autonomous Vehicle Industry cluster (SAVI), with a series of announcements with leading mobility firms. Among the more than 30 mobility companies that the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) expects to join SAVI are autonomous vehicle companies Pony.ai and WeRide, electric vehicle manufacturers Neta Auto and NWTN, USV manufacturer Marakeb Technologies, eVTOL pioneers Archer and Joby Aviation, electric vehicle, and Star Charge, an electric vehicle charging and energy storage company. (Middle East AI News)
See these stories:
eVTOL firm Archer to manufacture in Abu Dhabi (Middle East AI News)
Abu Dhabi confirms anchor deals for SAVI (Middle East AI News)
Abu Dhabi announces new smart mobility cluster (Middle East AI News)
Abu Dhabi to introduce 240 passenger driverless buses
#UAE #AVs - The city of Abu Dhabi, will launch a new Autonomous Rapid Transit vehicle service in December, connecting popular leisure and tourist destinations. The 240 passenger ARTs have already been trialed for the past year, as part of the city's ongoing Smart Mobility Project. (The National)
LLMs
M42 releases advanced clinical LLM
#UAE #healthcare - M42, a global tech-enabled healthcare network, created earlier this year via a merger of Mubadala Health and G42 Healthcare - has released Med42, a 70 billion parameter large language model, built specifically for the healthcare sector. M42 hopes that the AI model will prove to be a catalyst for global innovation in AI for healthcare. (LinkedIn)
OpenAI partners with G42
#UAE #OpenAI - ChatGPT creator OpenAI has partnered with Abu Dhabi-based G42 for the Middle East region. G42 aims to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions to the UAE and regional markets, based on OpenAI's large language models to financial services, energy, healthcare and public services. (Linkedin)
Microsoft unveils UAE-developed AI assistant
#UAE #virtualassistants - Microsoft has unveiled Mai, a new digital assistant powered by generative AI whose capabilities can be customised to specific user requirements. With a ChatGPT-like interface, the assistant can be trained in any vertical, including services such as health care and education. (The National)
R&D
MBZUAI announces new Institute of Foundation Models
#UAE #LLMs - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi has launched the Institute of Foundation Models, a dedicated research hub for building, understanding, and risk-managing Foundation Models including large language models, and pre-trained transformers. (Emirates News Agency)
Ceer and KAUST partner for smart mobility
#Saudi #mobility - Saudi Arabia's first home-grown electric vehicle brand, Ceer, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have signed an agreement to drive research and development in smart mobility. Research areas include connectivity and autonomous driving. (KAUST)
Biometrics
Presight and TOTM to form joint venture
#Singapore #UAE #biometrics - G42 bug data analytics company Presight and Singapore biometrics and Digital ID solutions provider TOTM Technologies will establish a joint venture. The new company will develop data-driven solutions, opening up new ways of working, operating and doing business with biometrics-driven digital Identity. (Emirates News Agency)
Digital Transformation
Presight signs Kazakh digital transformation deal
#Kazakhstan #UAE #bigdata - Abu Dhabi-based Presight, G42's big data analytics company, will form a joint venture with Kazakhstan's $70 billion sovereign wealth fund, National Welfare Fund (SAMRUK Khazyna), to accelerate digital transformation in the country. (Emirates News Agency)
Metaverse
MBZUAI launches new metaverse lab
#UAE #metaverse - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has announced a new metaverse research center, and an incubator for start-ups and high-tech innovation. (Abu Dhabi Media Office)
The Sandbox enters Saudi Arabia
#HongKong #Saudi #gaming - The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world, and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has signed a deal with Sandsoft, the mobile-first Riyadh-headquartered game developer, publisher and investor, as a key partner in the Hong Kong company's expansion into Saudi Arabia. (Zawya)
Autonomous Retail
Etisalat launches autonomous telecom store
#UAE #retail - And UAE telecom service provider Etisalat by e&, has opened an autonomous telecom store, called EASE. Customers can enter the store using facial recognition, or the Etisalat mobile app, pick up products, and walk out of the store with them. Backend processes bill the customer via their preferred payment method. (BroadcastPro)
Law
GCC Attorneys General approve AI ethics guide
#Oman #GCC #law - A meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) attorneys generals in Muscat, this week approved an AI ethics guide for attorney general offices across the GCC states. The guide provides a regulatory framework for the ethical use of AI in the work of attorney general offices. (Zawya)
Autonomous Racing
Autonomous racing car unveiled at GITEX
#UAE #autonomousracing - ASPIRE, the technology programme management pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has unveiled the car to be used for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) which will hold its inaugural race on April 28, 2024, at the Yas Marina Circuit. The car is made by Italian racing car specialist Dallara. (The National)