Dubai's first checkout free store; Jürgen Schmidhuber joins KAUST
Good morning!
Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!
Another busy week, with the UAE government confirming that it will soon pass a new federal data law on Sunday and Majid Al Futtaim's new AI-powered Carrefour City+ supermarket stealing the limelight on Monday.
In other news from the UAE, Emirates Global Aluminium has announced this year’s edition of the EGA Al Robot competition.
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, also known as KAUST, announced the appointment of world renowned computer scientist and neural network expert Professor Jürgen Schmidhuber, as director of the university's Artificial Intelligence Initiative.
Scroll down for these stories and more.
Stay safe and have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Retail
Carrefour City+: first cashier-less store opens in Dubai — www.thenationalnews.com
#UAE #retail - Majid Al Futtaim has opened its first AI-powered Carrefour City+ supermarket, the region's first check-out free store, at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. The store uses the real-time image recognition platform developed by California-based store automation specialists AiFi Inc. (The National)
Startup News
Chinese rehabilitation robot maker backed by Aramco eyes global push — asia.nikkei.com
#China #Saudi #funding - Fourier Intelligence, a Chinese developer of robots used in physical therapy plans to deepen ties with Saudi Arabia and push ahead with global expansions. The startup received tens of millions of dollars from Prosperity7 Ventures, an Aramco Ventures fund, during its July funding round. (Asia Nikkei)
UAE-based firm to use AI for monitoring air and water quality at industrial spaces — me.mashable.com
#UAE #environment - Disrupt-X, a UAE-based IoT startup has launched a smart monitoring service for air quality and water resources. 'Ignite Shield' offers a set of digital tools to monitor everything from swimming pools to water pressure and industrial equipment. (Mashable)
Jordanian start-up’s anti-stuttering device helps combat speech impediment — www.jordantimes.com
#Jordan #healthtech - Jordan-based healthtech startup TakalamTech is helping people combat stuttering with a new wearable device. According to the company, its anti-stuttering device helps reduce stuttering by 90 per cent. (Jordan Times)
Data Policy
UAE government reveals that new federal data law will be introduced soon — gulfbusiness.com
#UAE #datalaw - The UAE will soon publish a new federal data law, according to a government announcement made in Dubai on Sunday. The law is expected to give individuals the freedom to control the way their personal information is used, stored and shared, and in a manner that supports preserving the privacy of both individuals and institutions. (Gulf Business)
Education
Government and business elites to be trained at Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI — www.thenationalnews.com
#UAE #training - Abu Dhabi's Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) will train the UAE's government and business leaders under a new programme, equipping the country's decision makers with practical skills and a professional network to tap into the cutting-edge technology. The 12-week executive programme begins on October 23. (The National)
RPDC signs a MoU with Fahd Bin Sultan University — rpdinnovations.com
#Saudi #education - Fahd Bin Sultan University (FBSU) has signed a memorandum of collaboration with Research Products Development Company (RPDC), a subsidiary of TAQNIA. RPDC will help FBSU develop new programmes including Smart Robotics and Automation labs, Fourth Industrial Revolution labs and to establish a Department of Intelligent Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering under the university’s College of Engineering. (RPDC)
Ministry of CIT & AWS to launch Practical Data Scientist Academy — mcit.gov.eg
#Egypt #education - Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is collaboratig with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch a Practical Data Scientist Academy (MCIT-PDSA). With grants from MCIT, the initiative aims to up skill 500 young Egyptians in data analytics. (MCIT)
Robotics
EGA launches 2021 industrial robotics competition for university students — www.wam.ae
#UAE #robotics - Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced the launch of this year’s edition of the EGA Al Robot competition, which challenges university students to design and build industrial robots for use at EGA’s aluminium smelters. Last year's competition was won by a robotics team from Abu Dhabi University. (Emirates News Agency)
Smart Cities
From creaking Cairo, Egypt plans high-tech leap with new capital — www.reuters.com
#Egypt #smartcity - In Egypt's new capital on the outskirts of Cairo, residents will use smart cards and apps to unlock doors and make payments, and surf the web on public WiFi beamed from lampposts. A network of at least 6,000 cameras will monitor activity on every street, tracking pedestrians and vehicles to regulate traffic and report suspicious activity. (Reuters)
Appointments
Professor Jürgen Schmidhuber appointed by KAUST as director of the university's Artificial Intelligence Initiative — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #KAUST - KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) has appointed Professor Jürgen Schmidhuber as the director of the university's AI Initiative. A renowned research scientist responsible for breakthrough research in artificial neural networks, he has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed papers. (Arab News)
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