Which industries can AI be used for in a developed city? What are some uses that already exist and which we could never have imagined before? Let’s explore some interesting uses of AI in a city which has integrated it into many businesses and public services – Dubai.
Dubai can be seen as a highly developed city in many regards. The city is home to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, the economy and tourism are booming and the city attracts millions of dollars of investments every year, especially in regards to technology and innovation.
The UAE was one of the first countries that announced a national AI strategy back in October 2017, which covers development in nine sectors: transport, health, space, education, renewable energy, environment, water, technology, and traffic.
The vision behind this strategy was to become a world leader in AI by 2031, and by the current look of it they are on the right path. The UAE National Program for Artificial Intelligence is called BRAIN – Building a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Nation – and it is a comprehensive program highlighting the importance of advances in AI and Robotics and a goal for the UAE to become a leading participant in the responsible use of AI and its tools. Notice how even here the words “responsible use” are highlighted. Dubai officials and actors in this field seem to approach AI with the necessary preparedness and willingness to use it in optimal ways and develop it to be safe and available for everyone, taking into account ethical and moral issues as well as practical ones, which is one of the reasons they are advancing and adapting so well. Dubai also appointed a state minister for Artificial Intelligence, and they are aiming for the UAE to be the most prepared country for the future advances of AI.
UAE has already been one of the best and fastest countries to adapt to new and disruptive technologies, with a combination of openness to vision and new ideas and strategic planning and policymaking. And with AI spanning through all levels of government and the police force planning to introduce AI robots, they really do have a lot to show for their progress.
Besides the implementation of AI in different levels of government, Dubai’s police force has made great efforts to integrate AI into their future as well. Law enforcement officials in Dubai are preparing to launch a range of artificial intelligence and robotics projects to improve city policing, one of them being AI robots which could perform the work of police officers in certain situations.
Dubai is investing heavily in smart transport and looking to the introduction of driverless vehicles to the city’s roads. The Road and transport Authority has successfully tested the first autonomous taxi which could be introduced more widely.
AI is being introduced into banking and finance, used for smart assistants in many industries and developed for medical diagnoses as well. The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has used AI to diagnose certain diseases such as tuberculosis using machine learning algorithms, as well as improving the process of pre-screening patients for illnesses in more remote areas. This improves cost efficiency as well as making the medical diagnosis processes faster. Outside scientific fields, Dubai has also witnessed the opening of Robocafe – the world’s first fully robotic AI cafe. The cafe is run by a staff of robots who prepare your drinks after you have placed your order via an iPad, and the cafe has capacity for up to 60 customers at a time.
Concerning education, the goal is not only to implement AI in many fields for its use, but also educate young minds on how to adapt to such innovations. The UAE is home to the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence which offers different programs like Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision, aiming to educate and empower the future generations of students on the smart use of AI and related technologies. Even though this specific AI-focused University is located in Abu Dhabi, many AI study programs are also available in Dubai.
As we can see, there are many exciting developments in various fields, and in recent news, the AI Everything Summit is also planned to be held in Dubai in October 2021 – announced as the most anticipated & empowering AI summit for governments, businesses, social enterprises & the creative economy.
Many cities are developing and using AI to improve their citizens’ way of life and services offered to them. Dubai is currently leading the way in regards to disruptive technologies and the preparedness of the people and government to use it, but it will be interesting to see which other cities and countries emerge as trendsetters and best examples of AI implementation and responsible use in different fields. Let’s stay tuned to news and innovations from the field, the future might be very exciting and surprise us!