TII reveals its own LLM; UAE issues eVTOL permit
Middle East AI News weekly news digest...
Good morning!
Here’s your weekly Middle East AI News!
It seems that it’s just another week in the UAE, complete with search and rescue hoverbikes, electric vertical takeoff and landing cargo aircraft, future Emirates airline check-in service robots, plans for AI-powered UAE consular services, and the launch of a new large language model (LLM) that the developers say can outperform GPT-3!
So much to share this week, including news from Egypt Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. However, arguably the biggest news comes from Abu Dhabi, with the government’s Technology Innovation Institute, TII, announcing that it has developed a new LLM called Falcon to rival global AI developers like OpenAI, Google and Deepmind. This comes less than three years after the research institute was founded.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
FEATURED
Can UAE-built Falcon rival global AI models?
#UAE #R&D - Abu Dhabi government's leading applied research centre, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), has announced that it has developed one of the highest performing large language models (or LLMs) in the world. It's a massive win for the research institute and proof positive for Abu Dhabi's fast growing R&D ecosystem. But what a week to announce it! (Middle East AI News)
eVTOL
The UAE RegLab issues licence for UPS eVTOL trial
#UAE #cargo - The UAE Regulations Lab (RegLab) has issued its first licence for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cargo aircraft, accelerating UAE urban air mobility plans. The new temporary licence will allow US logistics giant United Parcel Service (UPS) to test manned eVTOL aircraft in the UAE, working with eVTOL manufacturer Beta Technologies. (Zawya)
Hoverbike launched in Abu Dhabi for search and rescue
#UAE #hoverbike - A futuristic hoverbike suitable for civil defence search and rescue missions could soon be manufactured in the UAE. Demonstrated in Abu Dhabi this week, the Xturismo Hoverbike was developed by G42 company Bayanat.AI and Japan-based aerial mobility companyAerwins Technologies. (The National)
Presight.ai IPO
Presight AI announces start of subscription for IPO
#UAE #ADX - Presight AI Holding has started taking investor orders for its upcoming initial public offering on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) at a fixed price of $0.36 (AED 1.34) per share as the data analytics firm is set to raise AED 1.8bn. (Gulf Business)
Robotics
Emirates and DFF form robotics R&D lab
#UAE #aviation - The Emirates Group and Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) have signed a partnership to launch the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics (ECEAR), announced at ForsaTEK, the Group’s annual innovation forum. (Emirates News Agency)
Emirates airline to introduce multilingual check-in robots
#UAE #aviation - Emirates is to introduce legions of multilingual robots to speed up passenger check-in at Dubai International Airport, cutting queue times and funnelling more travellers through the world's busiest international hub, as the long-haul airline invests heavily in the latest technologies. (The National)
Government
Smart Mission project to improve UAE's consular services
#UAE #consularservices - A new government 'Smart Mission' initiative will use AI, facial recognition and interactive 3D technologies to streamline customer experiences for people dealing with UAE embassies and consulates around the world. (The National)
Startups
This VC wants to develop Saudi deep tech startups
#Saudi #deeptech - Beta Lab, a VC and co-creation studio is focusing on the growth of deep tech startups. The studio is launched with a number of partners, including the Saudi Ministry of Investment, Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII), and KBW Ventures. (Fast Company ME)
R&D
MBZUAI and BioMap to establish region's first biocomputing lab
#UAE #biotech - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and BioMap signed a historic MoU on the university’s Masdar City campus to establish a biocomputing innovation research laboratory. The lab will develop large-scale life science AI models. (Khaleej Times)
Education
Saudi campaign targets gender bias in AI
#Saudi #AIbias - King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has launched “Dear AI,” an International Women’s Day campaign and hackathon to tackle gender bias and the under-representation of women in artificial intelligence software. (Arab News)
MBZUAI executive program graduates 83 more leaders
#UAE #MBZUAI - 83 of the UAE’s top CEOs, director generals, and executive directors have graduated in the latest cohort of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) Executive Programme (MEP). Graduates spent 12 weeks with instructors from UC Berkeley, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Oxford, and MBZUAI, learning about the rapidly evolving AI landscape and developing real world solutions. (Emirates News Agency)
Investment
G42's 42XFund acquires stake in ByteDance
#UAE #China #ByteDance - G42's 42XFund has acquired a $100+ million stake in ByteDance, the Chinese internet technology company behind social video-sharing app TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin, according to Bloomberg. (Bloomberg)
Utilities
Qatar utlitiies corporation launches AI Platform
#Qatar #energy - The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA), in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, launched a new large-scale platform backed by cloud computing and AI that is set to improve operational efficiency and enhance the customer experience. (Microsoft)
Consulting
Capgemini bets big on Egypt with 3,000-strong hiring drive
#Egypt #services - Global consulting company Capgemini has announced a major recruitment drive in Egypt, as the firm seeks to establish Cairo as major outsourcing hub within. Capgemini’s Global Delivery Centre was set up last year to meet growing client demand for services to support AI, data science, cloud infrastructure, intelligent operations, engineering and R&D. (Consulting-me)
Society
Morocco launches 'Tifli Moukhtafi' disappearance alert system
#Morocco #childabduction - Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) launched 'Tifli Moukhtafi' last week, an AI-powered system to help stop child abduction in collaboration with Meta. The system creates alerts and a call for the search for children who go missing in suspicious circumstances. (We Are Tech)
AI Diplomacy
Egypt takes part in MENA e-government digital workshop
#Egypt #Qatar #egovernment - Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), participated in the e-Government Digital Workshop in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2023, held in Qatar, on March 7-8. The workshop was held in conjunction with the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), held in Doha, Qatar, on March 5-9. (MCIT)
Defence
Task Force 59 Welcomes New Commander
#Jordan #TaskForce59 - The US Navy 5th Fleet’s AI and unmanned system Task Force 59 bade farewell to its outgoing commander Capt. Michael D. Brasseur and welcomed a new commander, Capt. Colin Corridan, in a pierside change of command ceremony in Aqaba, Jordan yesterday. (US Navy)
RAF drone strike hits 'leading' ISIS terrorist in Syria
#Syria #drones - The Royal Air Force carried out a drone strike in Syria against a “leading” ISIS terrorist who was involved in chemical and biological weapons, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the UK’s parliament on Monday. (The National)