UAE calls for global coalition to police artificial intelligence


Kelsey Warner
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The UAE has called for a global coalition to regulate the development and use of artificial intelligence around the world, comparing the oversight needed to how nation states are monitored for nuclear arms proliferation.

Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said the world urgently needs to come together to police AI.

“If a country starts to enrich uranium to weapons grade, whether they disclose or not, the world knows,” he told The National's Connectivity Forum.

“There are certain parameters, certain systems, certain mechanisms that allow us to know 'OK, we are concerned that this country is moving towards weapons-grade uranium'.

“We need to have the same level of rigour, the same level of oversight on AI.”

Technology, and AI in particular, is at an inflection point: as large language models become more pervasive and sophisticated, experts are raising alarm over potential dangers.

Since late last year, when OpenAI launched its generative AI platform ChatGPT, attracting more than 100 million users in less than a few months, companies are racing to bring AI-powered products to market.

On Tuesday, US Congress held a hearing to grapple with how lawmakers might regulate AI.

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, told a Senate panel that regulating AI was “critical”, and encouraged Congress to act.

Mr Al Olama, who became the world's first AI minister in 2017, said countries including the UAE cannot afford to wait for private business leaders such as OpenAI chief executive Mr Altman or Microsoft chief executive Sundar Pichai to hash out a plan with lawmakers.

The dangers of a technology that has been in the hands of consumers for over a decade, but is now rapidly accelerating, cannot be regulated at the national level, he said.

“Even if we were the most progressive, most proactive country on Earth and put in place the best guardrails and safeguards, if [AI] goes off on the wrong tangent in China, or the US, or the UK – or anywhere else – because of our interconnectedness, it is going to harm our people,” he said.

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Timeline

1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line

1962
250 GTO is unveiled

1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company

1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens

1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made

1987
F40 launched

1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent

2002
The Enzo model is announced

2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi

2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled

2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives

2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company

2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street

2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now

If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Updated: May 19, 2023, 12:31 PM