Peter Sondergaard, executive vice president & global head of research at Gartner, speaking at a press briefing in Dubai. Anna Nielsen / The National
Peter Sondergaard, executive vice president & global head of research at Gartner, speaking at a press briefing in Dubai. Anna Nielsen / The National

AI will augment job roles rather than destroy them, say tech experts



Companies are too concerned with potential job losses from the rise of artificial intelligence and should instead be looking at how to augment roles to keep up with the data revolution, technology experts said on Monday.

Speaking at a press briefing held by Gartner on 2018 Middle East technology trends, Peter Sondergaard, executive vice president and global head of research at Gartner Research and Advisory, said that AI has long been criticised as being a “disruptor” of jobs and although it is expected to cause the loss of 1.8 million jobs by 2020, 2.3 million new ones will be created.

“We believe [AI] augments, it doesn’t destroy every job,” he said.

“Some of [the new roles] may be temporary, over a 10-year timeframe, because they might be about a teaching system to create the foundation of brand new job categories.

“But AI isn’t a disruptor of jobs. Young people right now that are in school are likely going to a job category that doesn’t exist today using skills that we don’t know we need and trying to do something in a business that doesn’t exist today."

Arun Khehar, senior vice president for applications business at Oracle ECEMEA, told The National: "We first need to get past sensational headlines about robots 'stealing our jobs'."

“Innovation and the use of tools to make life easier have been a marker of progress throughout history, through agricultural and industrial revolutions. We are now in a data revolution and as we progress, some of the roles people do will change.

“But progress has consistently brought the creation of new jobs, new business models and whole new industries.”

Mr Sondergaard also said that businesses will have to change how they engage with people to tackle the difficult task of changing the company’s culture so they can implement change quickly.

Resources and talent are other challenges that will require concerted efforts to address.

According to Gartner, AI technologies will be present in almost every new software product by 2020, doing more to change how we live and work than any other technology since the internet.

According to Dr Fadi Aloul, head of computer science and engineering at the American University of Sharjah, machine learning and AI algorithms have been there for a while, but for them to work well, we need other supporting resources.

“They include powerful computing machines and cloud servers, which are there now and are opening the door to make fantastic things that will make our lives easier,” he said. “Today we have fast connectivity on almost every phone so it’s easy to upload the data that AI and machine learning need a lot of to be smart.”

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Read more:

The machines are taking over: how AI will change life in the UAE over the next 50 years

Governments must control the rise of Artificial Intelligence, experts say

UAE to phase out immigration officers in favour of AI by 2020

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The major parts of AI will be taken up through simple implementations over the next couple of years, but a lot more work needs to happen within companies to really exploit it.

Mr Sondergaard said leadership mattered more than ever today. “There is a need for using technology for change,” he said, and that “has to do with the right leadership”.

Last October, the Government launched the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and appointed Oman bin Sultan Al Olama as the country's first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.

The UAE seeks to be a major hub for developing AI techniques and associated legislation, with its 2071 Strategy founded on the concept of integrating AI across the Government and private sectors. The aim is to include AI in services, across sectors and in all future infrastructure.

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Dubai Bling season three

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

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

World Series

Game 1: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3: Saturday (UAE)

* if needed

Game 4: Sunday
Game 5: Monday
Game 6: Wednesday
Game 7: Thursday

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Scoreline

Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (53')

Atletico Madrid 1
Griezmann (57')