Etihad Airways and Astra Tech, the Dubai-based investment company backed by Abu Dhabi's artificial intelligence company G42, have teamed up to offer flights through the Botim app.
Bookings will use the Botim GPT module developed by Astra Tech, which incorporates flights and other travel related services on the app, the companies said at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Wednesday.
GPT — generative pre-trained transformer — is the underlying technology behind generative AI and created by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which developed the highly popular ChatGPT.
The agreement between the two companies was signed at the ATM by Antonoaldo Neves, chief executive of Etihad Airways, and Abdallah Abu Sheikh, founder of Astra Tech.
“Etihad is committed to staying at the forefront of the constantly evolving digital landscape by exploring and adopting innovative solutions, such as GPT-enabled flight bookings, to deliver the best possible experiences to its guests,” Mr Neves said.
Companies are beginning to leverage the potential of GPT technology, which is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, to provide services that are simpler and more seamless.
Its use holds major potential for improving development, productivity and driving a transformative shift in strategic sectors, Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, AI and Remote Working System, said last week.
The Etihad-Astra Tech partnership will let users book flights by “making it as easy as asking a question”, said Mr Abu Sheikh, who is also the chief executive of Botim.
“This represents our ability to connect people, not only virtually but physically, all around the world using the latest technology in artificial intelligence,” he said.
Astra Tech acquired Botim — originally launched as a voice over internet protocol service — in January. It was this week relaunched as an “ultra app”, which the company said was the first in the Arab world.
The new version, Botim 3.0, makes the app an all-inclusive digital platform for its users by combining FinTech, e-commerce, GPT and communications into a single user experience.
Ultra apps aim to allow sellers and consumers around the world to interact on a single platform, eliminating the complexity of using several apps.
The acquisition gave Astra Tech access to Botim's 90 million registered users, of which 25 million are active, Astra Tech said.
In March, Astra Tech, which secured $500 million in a funding round led by G42 in December, teamed up with global payments company Mastercard to boost its digital payments services in the Mena region through its Botim and PayBy apps.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
