UAE SAR sat programme; Driverless water taxis
Middle East AI News weekly news digest...
Good morning!
And welcome to your weekly edition of Middle East AI News!
Lots to share today! The UAE’s space sector switches up a gear, with the announcement of a new space programme from Bayanat.AI and Yahsat; the Saudi Data and AI Authority inaugurates a new centre of excellence for generative AI together with NVIDIA; and Dubai’s RTA begins trials of autonomous water taxis.
You will notice that I’ve added a featured video to this week’s newsletter. However, this has not been without challenges and as I send this, I still haven’t been able to verify that the video will actually play! So, apologies in advance if something’s broken.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Space
G42 & Yahsat launch UAE space programme
#UAE #spacetech - Geospatial intelligence company Bayanat.AI, part of G42 group, and Yahsat have announced a new Space Programme to boost the UAE's space sector, together with Finnish SAR satellite manufacturer ICEYE. The initiative includes building national satellite remote sensing and Earth Observation capabilities. (Emirates News Agency)
Autonomous Vehicles
Dubai introduces first self-driving electric abra
#UAE #transportation - Dubai's first self-driving electric abra - a traditional water taxi - has started operations, supporting the emirate's goal to reduce carbon emissions and advance autonomous transport. The vessel, capable of carrying eight passengers, was produced at the Roads and Transport Authority's Al Garhoud Marine Maintenance Centre. (The National)
AI Spending
AI investment on the rise in UAE
#UAE #investment - Nearly 75% of UAE organisations have maintained or increased their investment in AI, with AI being a major enabler of resilience in the current economic conditions, according to a survey by AI and machine learning company Dataiku. (The National)
Generative AI
SDAIA unveils generative AI centre with NVIDIA
#Saudi #GenAI - Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in partnership with NVIDIA has opened the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, SDAIA has launched a beta version of its AI chat application, Allam. (Arab News)
Google's Bard AI available in Saudi Arabia, UAE
#Saudi #UAE #GenAI - Google expands access to its generative AI tool, Bard, to over 180 countries including Saudi Arabia and UAE, targeting a larger share of the generative AI market. (Saudi Moments)
Generative AI boosts UAE's competitive edge
#UAE #GenAI - UAE's significant investment in generative AI, including AI models like ChatGPT, positions the country at the forefront of the AI revolution in the Middle East, according to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. (The National)
Microsoft's masterclass on generative AI for UAE government
#UAE #GenAI - Microsoft President, Brad Smith, led a virtual Masterclass on generative AI for UAE government leaders, emphasising the transformational potential of the technology. (Emirates News Agency)
Robotics
FFBOTS introduces UAE-made firefighting robot, Wabel
#UAE #firefighting- FFBOTS, an Emirati firm, has launched Wabel, the first locally-made firefighting robot in the Middle East. The robot is expected to enhance safety and support firefighters during operations. (Al Arabiya News)
FDI
UAE Ministry of Economy, Presight collaborate to boost FDI
#UAE #FDI- The UAE’s Ministry of Economy has signed an MoU with Presight, intending to attract foreign direct investment to new sectors in the country. Through deploying AI, big data, and analytics in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and financial services, the partnership aims to foster a vibrant AI ecosystem. (Gulf Business)
Chinese tech firms enter Saudi Market
#Saudi #investment - Chinese companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, and SenseTime, capitalise on Saudi Arabia's ‘reform and opening up’ phase, seeing potential in emerging fields like cloud services and AI. (ThinkChina)
AI Strategy
Qatar's Ministry of Education drafts AI strategy
#Qatar #education- Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education is formulating an AI strategy to enhance educational outcomes, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. The initiative will use big data and predictive modelling systems to improve the quality of the educational process. (The Peninsula Qatar)
Law Enforcement
Dubai Police drone busts gambling game organiser
#UAE #lawenforcement - A police patrol drone in Dubai has led to the conviction of an individual organising a gambling game in the Naif area. The suspect, an Asian, has been sentenced to three months in prison and fined Dhs100,000, followed by deportation. (Gulf Today)
Events
Riyadh to host global AI and data analytics event
#Saudi #data - Deloitte's flagship AI and Analytics event, Experience Analytics, returns to Riyadh, expecting over 450 tech leaders and experts to discuss strategies and best practices in AI and Data Analytics. (Zawya)
Featured Video
Commodore Michael D. Brasseur keynote
#TaskForce59 - Founder and former Commodore of Task Force 59 Michael D. Brasseur gives a keynote address at last week's Xponential 2023 in Denver, Colorado, which was organised by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). The commodore tells the story of the US Navy's artificial intelligence and uncrewed system task force, which was stood up in 2021 at the 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
(30 minutes, YouTube)