Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
Dubai-based logistics group Aramex announced a new partnership with Odys Aviation to develop VTOL cargo operations in the UAE and Oman; Saudi’s AI authority launches an innovative new recruitment initiative; and UAE insights are released from the Cisco AI Readiness Index (which was first published in November).
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Cisco report is that, despite years of digital transformation efforts, data silos persist. 93% of UAE business and IT leaders admitted that their data exists in silos across their organisations.
Scroll down for these stories and more!
Later today, I’ll be hosting Middle East AI News LIVE - THURSDAY DEEP DIVE on LinkedIn at 12 noon KSA | 1pm UAE time | 9am GMT!
I’ll be talking to Dr. Abed Benaichouche, scientist, entrepreneur and co-founder of Abu Dhabi-based AI startup Open Innovation AI about the company’s AIOS platform and the recent $100 million deal with World Wide Technology. Read more about Open Innovation AI here.
Click here to attend today’s THURSDAY DEEP DIVE!
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Mobility
Aramex to bring Odys cargo VTOLs to UAE
#UAE #VTOLs - Hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft company Odys Aviation, and Dubai-based global logistics company Aramex have signed a partnership deal to develop cargo operations in the UAE, Oman and elsewhere in the region. Odys Aviation aims to make its aircraft available for Aramex’s cargo fleet by early 2028. (Middle East AI News)
AI Readiness
Cisco releases UAE AI readiness insights
#UAE #sentiment - Networking giant Cisco, has released UAE insights from the global Cisco AI Readiness Index. According to the research, 73% of UAE business and IT leaders believe that their organisations have well developed AI strategies. However, 93% admitted that their data exists in silos across the organisation. Downloads: UAE report PDF. Global report PDF. (LinkedIn)
Jordan rises up Government AI Readiness Index
#Jordan #government - Jordan has progressed by eight positions in the Government Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness Index compared to the year 2022. According the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Jordan ranked 55th out of 193 countries for the current year, in a report prepared by Oxford Insights. (Roya News)
Cloud
Saudi cloud computing sector expands
#Saudi #cloudcomputing - Saudi Arabia’s saw commercial registrations for cloud computing companies rise by 40 percent year-on-year during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The government reported that 1,759 cloud computing permits were issued during the quarter. (Arab News)
Startups
AI traveltech Localee raises $5.6 million
#UAE #funding - Dubai-based AI-powered traveltech startup Lokalee has raised a $5.6 million pre-Series A round, led by Crown Private Fund with participation from three strategic investors. The B2B platform allows guests of a hotel to view and book accommodation and its amenities. (Wamda)
Fintech platform to provide debt products to Dubai SMEs
#UAE #funding - Dubai SME - the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development - has joined forces with Chi-X Digital Assets, a leading AI-based fintech platform that will provide short-term debt products that help SMEs generate liquidity and maximise economic growth. (Zawya)
Education
SDAIA targets top potential AI talent
#Saudi #talent - The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched the Future SDAIA Graduate Development Programme to attract, train and retain new talent for the authority. Future SDAIA takes national university graduates and develop their capabilities in Generative AI, so increasing their chances of landing new job roles with the authority. (Middle East AI News)
100 students take part in Dubai Future Accelerator
#UAE #startups - 100 university students participated in Dubai Future Accelerators inaugural ‘Academia Accelerators for the Future’. Organised in partnership with Hult International Business School, and Dubai Centre for A.I. (Dubai Media Office)
Healthcare
Centre for robotic surgery opens in Dubai
#UAE #roboticsurgery - The American Hospital Dubai has officially launched a Center for Surgical Simulation, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, providing training for surgeons in the UAE and the wider region. The hospitalhas conducted more than 1,500 surgeries since 2020. (Gulf News)
Energy
AIQ releases software on AWS
#UAE #apps - Abu-Dhabi based industrial AI software developer AIQ, has made its AIQ’s WellInsight software available through AWS Marketplace. WellInsight is a cutting-edge automated tool for petrogeologists and engineers, to gain deeper insight into oil and gas reservoirs. (Zawya)
R&D
Researchers identify dates using computer vision
#Morocco #farming - Researchers from the National School of Applied Sciences of Tétouan at Abdelmalek Essaadi University Tétouan have developed computer vision approaches to identify different types of Moroccan dates. The approaches are based on transfer learning of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and have been proven to provide an accuracy rate of 97%. (University of Bahrain)
Space
UAE space deal with NASA
#UAE #Moon - The United Arab Emirates has signed a deal with the United States on contributing an airlock to a lunar-orbiting station that is being developed by NASA. Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre will supply the airlock to the planned Lunar Gateway station by the end of this decade. The agreement will will also help Emirati astronauts feature in future Moon missions. (The National)
Regional space conference in Muscat
#Oman #spaceconference - The Sultanate of Oman held the Middle East Space Conference this week, a three-day regional space conference to explore investment opportunities in this sector. The event is organised by Euroconsult and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. (Muscat Daily)