Dubai RTA taps AI for crowd management; UAE Minister of AI interview

Good morning,

Here’s this week’s Middle East AI News - the first newsletter of 2021!

Not a great volume of AI news from the past couple of weeks, but you'll find a few interesting stories below. Scroll to the end for a Start-Up Nation video interview with UAE AI minister HE Omar Sultan Al Olama about the nation's artificial intelligence strategy.

Meanwhile, I decided to start the New Year with a poll on Linkedin asking how 2020's media coverage had affected their ethical concerns about AI.

Although this was a limited poll, with just under one hundred people sharing their opinion, the results were interesting! For example, 38% felt that their ethical concerns about AI had been heightened during the past year. Read my follow-up Linkedin article here.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and profitable 2021!

/Carrington

---

Smart Cities

RTA to tap into artificial intelligence for better crowd management at metro stations — www.mediaoffice.ae

#UAE #transport - Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has embarked on a trial phase of using AI and simulators to streamline demand and passenger flow for the Dubai Metro, according to Ahmad Hasan Mahboub, the RTA's executive director of Smart Services. (Dubai Media Office)

Healthcare

American Hospital Dubai joins Cerner to accelerate the UAE’s healthcare transformation — gulfnews.com

#UAE #healthcare - American Hospital Dubai and global healthcare technology company Cerner have announced the first outcomes of one of the models from its AI data lab. The model aims to predict patient mortality and ICU admission for Covid-19 patients. (Gulf News)

Security

NYE 2021: How UAE cops kept New Year celebrations safe — www.khaleejtimes.com

#UAE #NY2021 - UAE police forces employed drones, smart technologies and AI across the country on New Year's eve to monitor crowds and venues and ensured rapid response for any emergency. (Khaleej Times)

Transport

Surveillance cameras in Ras Al Khaimah taxis, buses to boost safety — www.khaleejtimes.com

#UAE #transport - The Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority (RAKTA) has launched the pilot phase of a ‘smart monitoring and control system’. The pilot will see the introduction of smart surveillance cameras in buses and taxis; meters; and an AI-powered control centre. (Khaleej Times)

FCA officially launches smart 'UAE-TIR', 'Ranking Assessment management' systems — www.wam.ae

#UAE #transport - The Federal Customs Authority (FCA) has launched two smart systems to enhance the work of customs authorities: the "UAE-TIR" and the "Ranking Assessment management System" (RAMS). (Emirates News Agency)

Education

MBZUAI international students arrive in Abu Dhabi — www.zawya.com

#UAE #education - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first graduate-level, research-based AI university, welcomed its first cohort of students from around the world as they arrive in Abu Dhabi ahead of the start of the 2021 academic year. (Zawya)

Environment

UoB uses AI to monitor oil spills in Arab Gulf — www.newsofbahrain.com

#Bahrain #oilspills - The National Space Science Authority (NSSA) and University of Bahrain (UoB) have signed a MoU to develop artificial intelligence applications to locate and monitor oil spills in the Arabian Gulf. (News of Bahrain)

Interview

Israel's Start-Up Nation Central interviews the UAE's Minister of Artificial Intelligence HE Omar Sultan Al Olama about the nation's AI strategy.

Follow Middle East AI News on LinkedIn

View last week’s newsletter

Sign-up to receive Asia AI News too!

About Carrington Malin — www.carringtonmalin.com

Carrington Malin helps large organisations, digital brands and fast growing tech ventures with brand, communications and go-to-market strategies.