The arrival of new technology has always created a stir – especially when it comes to young people. In 1982, the UK Parliament published the Cockcroft Report, which, among other things, looked at introduction of the electronic calculator. “It is feared that children who use calculators too early will not acquire fluency in computation nor confident recall of basic number facts,” it stated. “These fears are understandable and should not be ignored.”
The internet – originally available in the early 1990s to a small number of specialists with advanced computers – is now ubiquitous. For some observers who witnessed the mass adoption of the web, digital technology has had a questionable effect on young people’s ability to think critically. Sven Birkerts, an American essayist and author of 1994’s The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age was an early sceptic, warning against the rise of what he called “horizontal reading” – young minds skimming and surfing through text, confusing access to information with deep understanding.
In Dubai this week, the debate continued, except that AI is now the technology under the spotlight rather than pocket calculators or the classroom computer. At the Futurists X Summit last Monday, Prof Henrik von Scheel, co-founder of Strategic Intelligence, the company that provides future trends reports to the World Economic Forum, cautioned against an over-reliance on large language models like ChatGPT that make it easier for young people to get answers in seconds. The ability to always have the right response at one’s fingertips, Prof von Scheel claimed, overshadowed the important role that failure plays in the learning process; removing failure would be damaging for young people who want to learn and improve.
AI is now the technology under the spotlight rather than pocket calculators or the classroom computer
AI, as with other innovations before it, throws up significant challenges. Some propose limiting young people’s access to AI-enabled tools, especially LLMs or platforms that assist with writing and editing. Indeed, many AI products already come with some form of parental control settings. However, although the case for curtailing unlimited AI access from young people is well made, it comes with some caveats.
Digital literacy is better thought of as a life skill today. Leaving young adults unprepared for the digital world by impeding their use of AI may do more harm than good. Uneven implementation of AI restrictions could also exacerbate inequality – young people from more affluent backgrounds or societies will likely still enjoy better access to AI while others miss out, thereby widening educational gaps.
The UAE has been an early adopter of AI, so it is an apposite place to have such debates. Policies that support the critical and responsible use of AI in schools and universities, such as those seen in the Emirates, could form the basis of a balanced approach, one that regards AI not as a crutch but as a sparring partner. Yes, someone could research their academic degree with the help of ChatGPT or Gemini – but ideally, they will have the critical reasoning skills to be able to defend it in person, too.
Birkerts was right to see the value in traditional methods of learning and reading, especially as they pertain to our inner lives and our ability to think deeply and originally about the world. He was also right that it is our approach and adaptation to new technology that is the important thing. “It would be wrong to lay all the blame at the feet of technology,” he wrote “but more wrong to ignore the great transformative impact of new technological systems – to act as if it's all just business as usual.” Conversations such as those taking place in the UAE will be important in forging the rights steps for the future.
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
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ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Napoleon
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Griselda
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company%20Profile
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