The origins of AI can be traced back decades, encompassing advancements such as Boolean algebra in the 19th century and Charles Babbage’s vision of a mechanical computer in the 18th century. AFP
The origins of AI can be traced back decades, encompassing advancements such as Boolean algebra in the 19th century and Charles Babbage’s vision of a mechanical computer in the 18th century. AFP
The origins of AI can be traced back decades, encompassing advancements such as Boolean algebra in the 19th century and Charles Babbage’s vision of a mechanical computer in the 18th century. AFP
Dr Mohamed Alloghani is Senior Advisor to the President of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
March 06, 2024
Few technologies have stirred debate quite as much as artificial intelligence.
A significant amount of the uncertainty surrounding AI can be attributed to the flawed idea that it will somehow lead to human beings losing control of our work, lives, society or even our humanity. This misconception has grown around a misunderstanding of how most AI systems work, and confusion around Artificial General Intelligence – the type of AI superintelligence that remains theoretical but has been the inspiration for many science-fiction movies.
The real question we should be asking is this – is it appropriate to compare artificial intelligence with human intelligence? They are fundamentally different – each designed to excel in specific tasks.
AI strives to surpass human capabilities in areas such as content creation and question answering. However, the path it takes to fulfil these tasks differs from human cognitive processes.
While humans learn from small data, use multiple senses and operate with energy efficiency, AI relies on substantial computational resources and vast data to absorb, categorise and transform information into machine-friendly representations.
Over the past 60 years, AI has evolved into a foundational discipline influencing every facet of science and life. It is akin to a future version of mathematics, endowed with the ability to automate operations, operate devices and solve complex problems.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets US Vice President Kamala Harris on the second day of the UK's Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. Getty Images
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly talks to an attendee. The summit is being attended by industry leaders and government officials. PA
Mr Sunak speaks with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. AFP
Mr Sunak welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. PA
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with Mr Sunak. Getty Images
Mr Sunak arrives at Bletchley Park on day two of the summit. EPA
Michelle Donelan, front centre, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with international digital ministers at the start of the AI Safety Summit. Getty Images
King Charles III addresses delegates in a recorded video message. AP
Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation, Georgii Dubynskyi, speaks to Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X. Reuters
Ms Donelan with Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications. AP
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Getty Images
Mr Musk attends the first plenary session of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. PA
Ms Donelan greets Georgii Dubynskyi, Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation. PA
Wu Zhaohui, China's vice minister of science and technology, addresses the AI Safety Summit. Bloomberg
Bletchley Park, home of Britain's codebreakers during the Second World War, on the first day of the AI Safety Summit. Getty Images
AI, at its best, will be a sublime tool that gives us unprecedented access to the very best of humanity
The journey of AI has been marked by waves of transformation, adapting to available theories, technologies and the evolving problems that we aim to solve. Modern AI integrates mathematical principles and data-driven empiricism, exemplified by foundational models powering GPTs and similar innovations.
This evolution, fuelled by an unprecedented blend of data, computational power and algorithmic innovation, empowers AI to address challenges in ways unfamiliar to human logic. For instance, ChatGPT demonstrates artificial general intelligence, solving problems and creating content previously regarded as the preserve of human expertise.
Consider, for a minute, why people prefer to see a doctor or physician who is mature and can draw on decades of experience, during which time she or he has encountered thousands of patients. Almost by default, this gives patients greater trust that this particular doctor can extrapolate her or his experience for them and apply it to their specific needs.
The best doctor in the world is only one person, but AI has the power to become the ultimate assistant for healthcare practitioners. It can analyse vast troves of anonymised data, from healthcare records to medical scans, and learn to diagnose illnesses and conditions much more rapidly than a single human being.
By analysing data from millions of cases, AI can detect patterns and provide healthcare professionals with new insights. It can even make suggestions about what might be causing a patient to suffer from symptoms that do not always make sense, even to an experienced doctor.
The heavy lifting that AI performs as it digests and analyses data is based on the work of human medical professionals, which means its insights have been gleaned from the learning, dedication and wisdom of our fellow human beings.
Health care is just one key example of the way in which AI builds on human learning to improve and transform processes, but the same principle applies across all sectors, from manufacturing to agriculture, and logistics to education.
To take one of these examples – education – it is possible to use anonymised data to gain nuanced insights into the effectiveness of various teaching techniques and resources. This is done by analysing how students have performed in tests after using certain resources. This approach can help schools to make more informed decisions about how they implement their curriculums.
But AI also has the power to recognise and assist the individual. For example, it can help to diagnose conditions such as dyslexia, autism and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. These can have a severe effect on a child’s education, but often go undiagnosed.
Fundamentally, AI is rooted in human innovation. Its inception traces back to the 1950s, notably to the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, led by John McCarthy, then an assistant professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College.
This initiative aimed to explore the concepts that form the basis of modern AI. However, the origins of AI can be traced even further back, encompassing advancements such as Boolean algebra in the 19th century and Charles Babbage’s vision of a mechanical computer in the 18th century.
AI’s algorithms have been developed by people, based on a mathematical tradition stemming back centuries, even millennia. It distils the knowledge and wisdom of millions of people for the good of humanity – and the whole process will continue to be overseen by people through the continued development of effective guardrails and regulation, a commitment to transparency, and ongoing public discourse about the direction and use of AI.
Today, we are privileged to live in a time when computing power and communications networks have become powerful and fast enough to support AI. But there have been many false dawns in AI, and it is now time to ensure that the technology reaches its true potential. AI, at its best, will be a sublime tool that gives us unprecedented access to the very best of humanity.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
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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
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
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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.
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo Power: 235hp Torque: 350Nm Transmission: Nine-speed automatic Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000) On sale: Now
