A group of experts from around the world gathered at the Museum of the Future in Dubai for the “Machines Can See 2023” summit to discuss the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in the UAE and its potential to become the next Silicon Valley. During a panel discussion titled “Government, Business and Science,” policymakers from the public sector, businesses, and academia explored the possibilities of AI and opined that Dubai and the UAE are rapidly becoming a hub of advanced technologies, particularly in AI. The experts highlighted that Dubai has the capability to envision, imagine and bring things to reality, and could potentially ace the race of the world’s cities aspiring to become the next Silicon Valley.
The summit was hosted under the aegis of the UAE Ministry for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and Dubai Future Labs, an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation, exploring current advancements of AI, its applications, and its future in the UAE and the rest of the world. Mr Alexander Khanin, founder and director of Polynome, which organized the summit, said the name “Dub.ai” reflects the UAE’s supportive environment for innovation and AI advancement for humanity’s benefit.
The UAE is the only country with a state-level Ministry of AI, which is a testament to its commitment to supporting the progress of AI technology. Mr Sharif El Badawi, CEO of Dubai Future District Fund, remarked that to become the next Silicon Valley, a city needs to consider the factors contributing to the innovation ecosystem, including a combination of talent, capital, private sector engagement, and commercialization. He also added that it is possible by finding a way to commercialize research and innovations in science and technology to create a successful ecosystem similar to Silicon Valley.
Mr Khalifa AlQama, Director of Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Foundation, emphasized that technology is the most crucial enabler and that the most critical aspect is the business value brought by having all the localized infrastructure to enable AI adoption as an enterprise. He highlighted that organizations need to modernize their data to provide the right food for AI to eat and achieve the expected outcomes. Each vertical has its appetite, be it banking, finance, healthcare, education, or the government, which always takes the lead with its mandates defined.
