UAE to roll out ‘responsible’ AI

UAE to roll out ‘responsible’ AI

DUBAI: The world’s first minister for artificial intelligence (AI) says the United Arab Emirates isn’t only looking for economic benefits as it seeks to become a leading nation in the sector. The UAE’s minister of state for AI, Omar bin Sultan Al-Olama, said “quality of life” considerations were key, and also stressed the importance of a “responsible” rollout-with impacts potentially reverberating for decades.

“We are looking at AI as a tool,” he told AFP in an interview in Dubai. “It’s a tool that we need to use to unleash the quality of life aspect.” The UAE also calls AI “machine intelligence”, defining it as a branch of technology enabling systems to “think, learn, and make decisions like humans”, which can support everything from virology to transport. “Yes, economic gain is something that every country wants, and we want it too,” Olama added. “But… we want to ensure the development and deployment and the use of AI is responsible.”

Olama was just 27 when he was handed the cabinet-level position in 2017, tasked with launching the oil-rich Arab nation’s strategy in a field which touches everything from speech and facial recognition to commerce and autonomous cars. His appointment came a year after the