Category: Technology

DUBAI: The UAE government, represented by the Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, has signed three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Mongolia, and the Republic of Colombia to enhance the adoption of artificial intelligence in various sectors and exchange experiences and successful practices in this field.

The memorandum of understanding was signed with the government of the Republic of Austria by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, and Florian Tursky, State Secretary for Digitalisation, Government of the Republic of Austria.

Also, the UAE government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of the Republic of Mongolia by both Omar Sultan Al Olama and Uchral Nyam-Osor, Minister of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia.

Additionally, The UAE government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the gov
ernment of the Republic of Colombia by both Omar Sultan Al Olama and Mauricio Lizcano, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of Colombia.

Omar Sultan Al Olama emphasised that the UAE is continuously seeking to strengthen global partnerships aimed at developing frameworks for meaningful cooperation to enhance the performance of various vital sectors that primarily impact humans. This aligns with the steps and visions of our leadership, which promote the AI adoption sector as a new futuristic approach to shaping the future of governments through establishing common digital frameworks and expanding global partnerships in future fields to achieve greater benefits for diverse societies.

He added that the World Governments Summit consolidates its position as a leading global platform for establishing partnerships with governments worldwide and embodies dialogues to shape the future based on identifying current challenges to formulate a better tomorrow.

Florian Tursky said, ‘The United Arab Emir
ates are a close strategic partner for Austria and our most important trade partner among the GCC countries. I was therefore glad to meet my counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Omar Al Olama, today on the margins of the World Governments Summit in Dubai. We have signed a MoU to establish a close cooperation in all fields of Artificial Intelligence. This collaboration is very promising, and we can learn from each other’s experiences as nations of a similar size and shared goals.’

Uchral Nyam-Osor, Minister of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia, said, ‘The UAE is an important partner and close friend of Mongolia among the GCC countries. I was therefore glad to meet my counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Omar Al Olama, today on the margins of the World Governments Summit in Dubai. We have signed a MoU to establish a close cooperation in all fields of Artificial Intelligence. This collaboration is very promising and we can learn from each other’s experiences as nations of a similar
size and shared goals.’

Mauricio Lizcano said, ‘Colombia is the UAE’s primary ally in Latin America. We have come to the World Governments Summit to sign a new technology-focused agreement and to craft a clear roadmap for effective collaboration on AI and digital education. Our goal is to develop with the UAE a far-reaching AI Hub in Latin America based on our mutual strengths’.

This cooperation aims to expand the scope of partnerships to include policies related to AI-based technologies, support potential areas of collaboration related to AI, and collaborate to establish an international governmental committee concerned with AI. It also aims to develop research frameworks across relevant institutions and academic institutes and facilitate joint research projects.

The three agreements aim as well to enhance talents, experiences and skills through education and training programmes, support the development of digital services based on these technologies, and facilitate private investments in the field of art
ificial intelligence.

The World Governments Summit 2024, held from 12th to 14th February, 2024, featured more than 120 interactive sessions and workshops, 15 forums, and hosted over 200 speakers and 140 governments to envision the future of policy-makers and governments, by discussing the latest global developments.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SHARJAH: BEEAH, a sustainability pioneer, held the first edition of its “Future Summit – Beyond Tomorrow: A Journey into Exponential Innovation” for future technologists and business leaders.

In collaboration with the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SRTIP) and US-based exponential education company, Singularity, the summit empowered a group of futurists to embrace an exponential mindset, be prepared to address global challenges, nurture a knowledge economy and advance the UAE’s growth as a pioneering, global hub for economic growth and sustainable progress.

The partnership with SRTIP, a regional hub for innovation and research, and Singularity, a global leader in executive educational programmes, underscored BEEAH’s commitment to fostering a community of forward-thinking, future-ready leaders dedicated to shaping the sustainable cities of tomorrow.

Participants in the summit had the opportunity to engage with leading experts, explore the innovative potential of artificial intelligence (A
I), delve into blockchain’s transformative impact, and expand their exponential thinking.

The summit featured an impressive line-up of speakers and leading technologists from across the globe. The speakers addressed several key technological trends ranging from the AI explosion, blockchain, the metaverse, the future of mobility and space exploration.

Following the summit, the new Singularity alumni joined an international community of leaders using exponential technologies to tackle global challenges. Singularity is the leader in educating, inspiring, and empowering leaders to imagine and create breakthroughs powered by exponential technologies.

Commenting on the initiative, Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO and Vice Chairman of BEEAH, stated, “At BEEAH, we believe in the limitless potential of technologies and their role in driving our future. We are proud to spearhead initiatives that contribute to Sharjah’s evolution as a knowledge-driven economy through strategic collaborations with esteemed partners like
SRTIP and Singularity. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge technological trends and equip individuals with the skills and exponential mindset needed to navigate the complexities of today’s disruptive landscape.”

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SRTIP, said, “We are delighted to support the Future Summit because it is an event that will throw light on how new technologies like AI, blockchain, the metaverse and others can dramatically accelerate the development of innovations and provide new tools for businesses to scale their operations.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Ester-Anna Nghipondoka, Minister of Education, Arts and Culture of Namibia, underscored the importance of improving education systems in innovative and flexible ways to provide youth with the required technical and practical skills to contribute effectively to their nations’ GDP.

In a statement to Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2024 in Dubai, Minister Nghipondoka said that Namibia has made great strides in transforming its education system into a digital and innovative one to keep pace with the technological developments the world is witnessing in the framework of the digital revolution.

She pointed to the promising opportunities created by artificial intelligence technologies and technological developments, highlighting the plans to establish digital schools in cooperation with the UAE and five other countries, as a memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday on the sidelines of the WGS to establish digital schools and train teachers.

The Nami
bian Minister underpinned the importance of participating in the World Governments Summit 2024 to formulate a roadmap for future governments and propose recommendations that support sustainable urban development, emphasising their goal of learning from the best practices presented at the summit and applying them in Namibia to address issues related to the future of governments.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Uchral Nyam-Osor, Minister of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia, emphasised the importance of international cooperation and technology sharing among different governments to build a digital economy.

He highlighted his country’s efforts to facilitate opportunities for private sector participation, accelerate technology, and digitise services to enhance community trust in government performance.

Nyam-Osor said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) during his participation in the third day of the World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai that government representatives worldwide always strive to participate continuously in the summit in the UAE to present visions and strategies for envisioning the governments of the future. He praised the bilateral relations between the UAE and Mongolia, which culminated during the recent visit of Ukhnaagiin Khrelskh, President of Mongolia, to Abu Dhabi last year.

He expressed his pride in participating as an official speaker during two sessio
ns within the activities of the WGS under the theme “Shaping Future Governments,” considering that the government of the future primarily relies on the digital government alongside its focus on humans to thrive the future of societies.

The summit witnessed the participation of several heads of state and governments, 120 government delegations, and more than 85 international and regional organizations and global institutions, in addition to a select group of global thought leaders and experts, with the attendance of over 4000 participants.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Akira Tsuchiya, President of The Global Institute (TGI) for Initiative, Interaction and Intelligence in Japan, expressed his hopes and aspirations to make technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), equally accessible to all countries worldwide.

Akira, speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the Global Governments Summit (WGS) 2024 in Dubai, emphasised the urgent need for a platform that provides opportunities for all governments around the world to benefit from AI, especially those that do not have sufficient capabilities to develop these technologies on their own.

He pointed out the necessity of international efforts to harness the uses of AI and make it available to all countries worldwide, regardless of their size or economic strength.

Akira explained that TGI not only focuses on research in the field of artificial intelligence but also serves as a bridge to connect experts from all over the world. He said, “What we do is facilitate a series of global dialogues to
ensure that all stakeholders remain connected and engaged in the development and distribution of artificial intelligence.”

Regarding the initial steps in his country, Akira affirmed that artificial intelligence is still in its early stages, expressing his hope that other countries would follow Japan’s lead in starting to leverage AI in various fields.

Source: Emirates News Agency

BEIJING: China has rolled out an ethical guideline for brain-computer interfaces (BCI) aiming to better guide the compliant development of BCI research and prevent ethical risks in the process of research and technological applications.

The released guideline by the Ministry of Science and Technology comes after Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the success of a procedure to implant Neuralink’s brain chip into the first human patient.

This guideline, compiled by the artificial intelligence ethics subcommittee of the National Committee for Science and Technology Ethics, released by the Ministry on Friday, serves as a reference for scientific research institutions and researchers.

It outlines the basic principles to be followed in conducting BCI research which are safeguarding health and enhancing well-being, respecting subjects involved and apply the technology on them moderately, adhering to fairness and ensuring equity, risk management and ensuring safety, information disclosure and ensuring informed consent,
supporting innovation and strict regulation.

For rare diseases that seriously endanger life and have no other effective treatment methods, clinical trials of innovative BCI products can be conducted with full informed consent under strict compliance with national regulations on medical devices and clinical research, the guideline pointed out.

The guideline highlights that research that replaces or weakens human judgment and decision-making abilities, significantly interferes with or blurs human autonomy and self-awareness should be avoided, when enhanced BCI technologies have yet been fully proven to be superior to human capabilities and have gained social consensus.

The guideline puts forward specific requirements in seven aspects, including legality and compliance, social and scientific values, informed consent, privacy protection and personal information protection, risk prevention and control, qualification requirements, and responsibility mechanisms.

It says that BCI research should establish a safet
y risk prevention and control mechanism, including strict operating procedures, common error correction mechanisms, emergency plans, suspension procedures and emergency remedial guidelines to ensure the safety of subjects. BCI research should also enhance system transparency, interpretability, reliability and controllability, ensuring accountability in technology design, development, use, deployment and other stages.

Zhang Linghan, professor of law at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, welcomed the guideline. She told the Global Times that it is a timely basic reference for BCI researchers.

In specific human experimentation studies, there may be ethical conflicts between the health benefits of the subjects and the scientific development and social benefits, she noted, adding that the scientific development, achievements of researchers and health benefits to the public are also based on the risks, contributions, and even certain harm to and sacrifice of these subjects.

The guideli
ne also provides ethical guidelines for five types of research: non-invasive restorative BCI research, invasive restorative BCI research, interventional BCI research, enhanced BCI research, and animal BCI research.

Specifically, non-invasive restorative BCI research collects patients’ brain signals in a non-invasive manner and decodes the signals to control external devices, improving patients’ motor and communication functions. Invasive restorative brain-machine interfaces involve neurosurgical procedures and implant placement, which pose short-term and long-term safety risks. Research in this area should comply with relevant national laws, regulations, and standards, adhere to medical ethics norms, and monitor long-term safety risks, including brain injury.

Interventional brain-machine interfaces involve interventional surgery and placement of intravascular implants, and monitoring long-term infection risks associated with implanted devices and closely observing adverse reactions such as intravascular thr
ombosis, the guideline reads.

The guideline clarifies that enhanced BCI refers to brain-machine interface technologies that enhance users’ perception, cognition, and motor abilities of normal bodily functions. They are generally non-invasive and require a thorough examination of risks and benefits and minimisation of negative impacts on humans.

Research that may cause addiction, affect normal human thinking and behavior should be strictly controlled, it stresses.

Zhang noted that the guideline highlights China’s long-standing value placed on the protection of subjects in medical research.

Health authorities established a Biomedical Research Ethics Review Committee involving human subjects and formulated the Guidelines for Ethical Review of Medical Research in 1998 and then the Ministry of Health promulgated and implemented the measures for ethical review of biomedical research involving humans on January 11, 2007, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Physician Law and the Regulations on the A
dministration of Medical Institutions.

These regulations clearly state that all research involving human subjects must comply with the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, which emphasises fairness, respect for human dignity, maximising the benefits to subjects, and minimising harm as much as possible, Zhang noted.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, attended the opening of the seventh National Science, Technology and Innovation (NSTI) Festival. This event is part of UAE Innovation Month and will run throughout February, and is scheduled to take place from 1st to 5th February at the Dubai Festival City.

Also present at the opening were Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU); Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment; Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs; and Dara Calleary, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation. The NSFTI Festival is the largest educational event of its kind in the region. It provides a platform for students to showcase their innovations, fosters their creativity in various fields, nurtures their talents and guides them to excel academically and professionally.

Dr. Al Falasi empha
sised the importance of technology, science, innovation and entrepreneurship in building a knowledge-based society. He highlighted the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) commitment to enhancing the skills of UAE students, fostering innovation and providing the guidance and tools needed to transform creative ideas into successful projects.

He added, ‘The NSTI Festival is a leading educational initiative in the Middle East and ranks among the top global events. It offers a platform for students to showcase and exchange innovative ideas and projects at a national level. It also provides opportunities for communication with experts, fostering talent growth in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.’

The seventh NSTI Festival will feature various events, including the sixth ‘Emirates Young Scientist Competition’, showcasing innovative projects from Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 students across the UAE. The competition has achieved a noticeable increase in the number of research projects and participating schools; the numb
er of projects registered in the competition increased from 217 in 2018 to 3,966 in 2024. Additionally, the number of participating schools surged from 153 in 2018 to 424 in 2024.

In this year’s ‘Emirates Young Scientist Competition’, projects are categorised into four main fields, namely ‘Technology’, ‘Biological and Ecological Sciences’, ‘Chemistry, Physical and Mathematical Sciences’ and ‘Social and Behavioural Sciences’. The top 100 projects from all categories will compete at the NSTI Festival. The MoE is harnessing AI to evaluate projects this year.

In line with the National Agenda for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, which aims to make the UAE an entrepreneurial nation by 2031, the NSTI Festival will also host the ‘KIDSPRENEUR’ competition, targeting Kindergarten and Cycle 1 students to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation from an early age. Additionally, ‘The Next Founder Competition’ will empower undergraduate and postgraduate students to present their emerging entrepreneurial project ideas for eval
uation and potential support.

The NSTI Festival will include a specialised conference featuring local and global speakers renowned in the fields of science, innovation and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, there will be a Family Festival offering various entertainment and educational activities to enhance the overall experience.

Since its inception, the NSTI Festival has hosted over 100 speakers, welcomed more than 70,000 visitors and collaborated with over 70 partners from the public and private sectors. Additionally, it has organised more than 170 multi-specialised workshops, showcasing the Festival’s significant educational impact on students, educators, specialists and various segments of society.

Source: Emirates News Agency

SEOUL: The South Korean government will focus on developing home-grown technologies in five major science sectors by 2030 in a strategic move to secure cutting-edge technologies and bolster long-term growth, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology approved a mission-oriented strategic road map aimed at achieving advancements in five areas: next-generation nuclear power, aerospace and ocean engineering, next-generation communication, advanced robotics, and cybersecurity, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

With the previously announced plans for seven strategic sectors, including semiconductors, secondary batteries and advanced biology, the government has completed a comprehensive road map for 12 strategic technologies.

The strategic road map outlines core technologies essential for ensuring technical sovereignty, sets up missions to be achieved by 2030, and maps out a course for pathway technologies derived from these missions.

Under the latest ro
ad map, the country will concentrate on developing and commercialising light-water small modular reactors (SMRs), innovative SMRs, and technologies essential for creating an advanced nuclear power system.

For the aerospace and ocean engineering industry, the government aims to secure technologies related to large-scale staged combustion cycle liquid rocket engines, space observation and sensing, moon landing and surface exploration, advanced aviation gas turbine engines, and exploration of marine resources.

The plan also includes a mission to develop a 1.8-ton spacecraft to land on the moon in 2032.

South Korea also plans to secure core technologies for the sixth generation (6G) network by 2026. It will make effort to develop technologies for low-power consumption and weight lightening to apply the network in data-heavy industries, such as self-driving cars.

It also envisions advancing its fifth-generation network technologies, securing 6G standard patents and pushing ahead with on-device application of A
I technologies to lead the global 6G market.

The country will also work to adopt AI-based self-functioning robot technologies in the manufacturing industry to maximise its productivity and advance its cybersecurity technologies.

Source: Emirates News Agency