Sharjah Police use facial recognition; Counter-drone startup opens in Saudi

Good morning,

Here’s your weekly roundup of Middle East AI News!

A number of commercial news stories in this week's newsletter, with two significant new partnerships announced in the region's smart cities sector. Meanwhile, Sharjah Police publicises its use of facial recognition in police drones.

Scroll to the end of the newsletter for a couple of interesting articles on drones in the defence sector. I can also recommend the overview on the UAE's national artificial intelligence strategy delivered by the country's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, H.E. Omar Sultan AlOlama (14 min, video).

Stay safe and have a great weekend!

/Carrington

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Security

Sharjah Police drones use facial recognition technology to identify wanted criminals — gulfnews.com

#UAE #policing - Sharjah Police are using drones equipped with facial recognition technology to help police search for suspects or wanted criminals, according to a media reports. (Gulf News)

Education

UAE rolls out latest Artificial Intelligence Programme to upskill nationals — gulfnews.com

#UAE #AIskills - The third edition of the UAE government's AI programme has been launched to train its citizens with the skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Organised by the National Programme of Artificial Intelligence and the Kellog College — University of Oxford, delegates from 30 public and private sectors are participating in the programme. (Gulf News)

Smart Cities

How Saudi Arabia's AI-powered NEOM megacity will actually be built — wired.me

#Saudi #NEOM - NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr is tasked with bringing Saudi Arabia' $500 billion, future-proofed, robot-populated giga-project to life. But first, he must convince people it’s all more than just an idea. (WIRED)

Schneider Electric and NXN partner to support smart cities — www.albawaba.com

#UAE #citytech - Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and NXN, a leading provider of end-to-end smart digital services for digital transformation in the smart cities sector, have announced a partnership. (Al Bawaba)

Terminus Group and Injazat announce smart city partnership — www.accesswire.com

#China #UAE #citytech - Chinese provider of AIoT solutions Terminus Group and UAE integrated solutions provider Injazat have announced signing a strategic partnership targeting urban digitalisation and smart city services in the region. (Accesswire)

Retail

Muscat to open first IoT-powered cashless store — www.omanobserver.om

#Oman #retail - Omantel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Oman Oil Marketing Company (OOMCO) to enable the first AI and IoT-powered Smart Store in Oman, with an enhanced queue-free, cashless, and grab-and-go shopping experience. (Oman Observer)

Robotics

Quara Holding brings mobile robotics to Saudi Arabia — www.arabnews.com

#Saudi #robotics - Quara Holding has signed a partnership agreement with Shenzhen-based KWRS to introduce autonomous robotics to Saudi Arabia. 'Quara Robotics' aims to market the robots to retail, manufacturing, service, hospitality, e-commerce, and security industries. (Arab News)

AI Policy

Kuwait chairs international meeting of experts on the ethics of artificial intelligence at UNESCO — www.alkhaleej24news.com

#Kuwait #AIethics - Kuwait chaired UNESCO intergovernmental special committee meeting of technical and legal experts on Tuesday, organised to negotiate a draft text of UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. (KUNA)

UAE National AI Strategy

Video: UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 — www.youtube.com

#UAE #AIpolicy - H.E. Omar Sultan AlOlama, the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications presents an overview of the UAE's National AI Strategy at last week's Big Data.AI Summit.

Defence

China’s surprising drone sales in the Middle East — www.defensenews.com

#Saudi #UAE #MENA #UAVs - It would be a mistake to dismiss China as an irrelevant player in the Middle East arms market, especially because of its sales of drones. (Defense News)

Counter-drone director talks testing in Saudi Arabia and regional expansion — www.defensenews.com

#Saudi #UAS - Monaco-based firm MARSS opened a new facility in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in January and hopes to secure a deal with the kingdom to counter unmanned aircraft systems. (Defense News)

Explosive-laden 'drone' boat targets Saudi Port of Yanbu — www.voanews.com

#Saudi #Yemen #USVs - A remotely piloted boat packed with explosives targeted the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea on Tuesday, the kingdom said, with the blast sending black smoke into the sky off the coast. Saudi Arabia claimed to have intercepted and destroyed the attack boat. (VOA)

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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.