Microsoft and G42 have announced two projects they say will help to ensure the responsible and altruistic use of artificial intelligence.
The initiatives come several months after Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion investment in Abu Dhabi AI and cloud company G42.
Plans to create a centre, founded and funded by Microsoft and G42, that will "identify, develop and advance best practices and industry standards for the responsible use of AI in the Middle East and the Global South" were unveiled on Tuesday.
“It will convene academic researchers and AI practitioners from across the private sector," a joint statement read. The centre has the endorsement of Abu Dhabi's Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council, it added.
Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, also announced it would be opening a branch of its AI for Good Lab in Abu Dhabi, its first such centre in the Middle East.
First announced in 2022, the AI for Good Lab has carried out research using AI that has been applied to rainforest conservation, food security, clean energy and human health endeavours, among other projects.
"The challenges we face are complex and no one company or organisation can solve them alone," said Microsoft vice president and chief data scientist Juan Lavista Ferres in a video introducing the ideas behind the lab in 2022. "Working in tandem, our AI for Good Lab applies core technical strengths towards important concerns."
According to Microsoft, the centre in Abu Dhabi will utilise AI to address significant economic and societal challenges across the Middle East and Africa. The lab will also collaborate with a Microsoft team in Nairobi to help develop large language models (LLMs), the backbone of many AI offerings, for unrepresented languages.
The lack of language diversity has emerged as a concern amid the AI-generated LLM boom. Many of the initial and successful iterations of AI were based in English, bolstering fears that other languages might be left behind amid an accelerating technology race between various companies.
The UAE has made several announcements to bolster AI language diversity. In May, a bilingual Arabic and English chatbot developed in the UAE, Jais Chat, was unveiled by Core42, a unit of Abu Dhabi's AI and cloud company G42. Last week, G42 also announced a Hindi LLM.
While promising and impressive on several technological levels, AI has also created a cause for concern over the potential for misuse, labour market disruption and a general unknown fear of how AI might evolve.
"This includes ensuring that the two companies' generative AI models and applications are developed, deployed and used safely," the joint statement said.
To prevent and blunt potential negative and unintended effects of AI, Microsoft has sought to list and define standards for responsible use. Those measures focus on accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, privacy, reliability and fairness.
"By advancing responsible AI together with Microsoft, we are creating a framework for AI to serve all of humanity," G42 group chief executive Peng Xiao said.
"These new centres reflect our shared vision for leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges, positioning Abu Dhabi as a global hub for AI innovation that prioritises safety, trust and collaboration, especially across the Global South."
The UAE has long sought to be a leader in AI research and set the pace for the burgeoning technological field. In 2019, the country announced the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, one of the world’s first dedicated AI educational institutes.
Sam Altman, founder and chief executive of OpenAI, told the World Government Summit in Dubai in February that the UAE would be well positioned to lead discussions about a hypothetical global AI watchdog system.
The country also recently became the first in the Arab world to join the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group, which is dedicated to AI safety and security.
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The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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