MBZUAI's executive graduates propose sustainability solutions

Food security proposal celebrated as winning capstone project

#UAE #sustainability - AlWaha team, participating in the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) Executive Program, has been celebrated as the winner for its National Food and Water Security Observatory proposal. The fourth cohort of the AI knowledge programme, in which forty-two leaders from organisations in the UAE took part, organised themselves into teams to create capstone projects as a condition of their graduation. AlWaha team presented a proposal to use AI to provide real-time insights and proactive decision-making around all key aspects of food security, from weather patterns and their impact on harvests, through to supply chain issues, population growth, and extreme weather events.

SO WHAT? - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence’s Executive Program helps empower government and business leadership in the UAE with the knowledge and skills for the AI era. More than 160 senior business and government leaders have so far participated in the universities Executive Program. Teams created in each cohort of the programme develop capstone projects to show how AI could be used to help meet national goals and priorities.

• The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence Executive Program was launched in December 2020 and has now run its 12 week AI curriculum four times.

• This year, the programme was extended to welcome business and government leaders from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.

• Executives spend 12 weeks with world-leading AI instructors immersed in the potential of AI to transform society, with an emphasis on enhancing sustainability.

• The last cohort included leaders from the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, the Supreme Council for National Security, Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IBM.

• Other capstone projects in the programme's last cohort include proposals for a system for the prevention of online child exploitation; platforms for the screening, early detection, and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and other chronic diseases; a system to ensure the sustainability and resilience of critical supply chains; and an initiative to boost productivity, efficiency, and informed decision-making through certified training in AI.

ZOOM OUT - MBZUAI's Executive Program is one of the key programmes that empower leadership to support the country's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. However, over the past five years, a wide range of programmes have been created via partnerships between government, the private sector and academia to help educate students, workers and leadership. Programmes range from AI summer camps for school students, to digital training for government workers, through to the Artificial Intelligence Program run by the National Program for Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates and Kellogg College, at the University of Oxford.

IMO - Few countries have taken as many steps to educate its population in AI, data-driven thinking and innovation at all levels, as the United Arab Emirates. In addition to efforts made to create a critical mass of AI experts - via both training local talent and attracting the best global talent - the UAE has also taken steps to ensure that its entire workforce and future workforce are schooled in the fundamentals of AI.

One of my favourite examples of how this new knowledge is cultivated are the summer camps organised by the UAE Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Office. Although the camps involve dozens of partner organisations from business, government and technology, they also introduce government leaders responsible for AI and innovation to students. These role models have often been through MBZUAI's Executive Program and/or the National Program for AI, proof positive that the government walks the walk, as well as talks the talk.