UAE is fast evolving into a knowledge-based economy with Dubai as the fountainhead of innovations. N.S.Sivaraman, a Singapore-based AI-enabler, who is part of a few government-sponsored AI-initiatives in Dubai says:

“I would attribute the success to the quality and enormity of data.”

The Dubai Government knows AI cannot take off big sans Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, he adds.

The country is already deploying algorithms, data sharing and AI-integration in wide-ranging areas offering smart solutions and services in sectors like healthcare, education, transportation and public safety.

The Economist Intelligence Unit shared that 86% of banks and insurance companies would increase AI-related investment by 2025.

Smart Dubai Office has launched several strategies to harness AI and Blockchain. The goal is to improve government services and setting up an ‘experience lab’ run by a dedicated team that gathers citizen feedback to redesign and transform service delivery.

Drawing one’s attention to the United Nations warning that a comprehensive shift towards digitisation would require a new type of responsibility. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Director General Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori says the private sector should also actively participate in the government’s efforts to give an ethical and humane dimension to digital transformation plans. He added:

“Profits should not be the sole driver or purpose.”

That’s the reason that is prompting Digital Dubai to shape global conversation around AI ethics, establishing Dubai as a thought leader in AI adoption across public and private sectors.

Sivaraman believes that continued conversation would prompt the community to eventually buy-in despite the fact Digital Dubai’s Ethical Tool Kit that supports industry, academia and individuals in understanding how AI systems can be used responsibly is not mandatory.