Technology that was once considered science fiction is edging closer to reality. How that is regulated is an important conundrum for governments and policy makers. Getty Images
Technology that was once considered science fiction is edging closer to reality. How that is regulated is an important conundrum for governments and policy makers. Getty Images

Governments must control the rise of artificial intelligence, experts say



The dawn of the artificial intelligence age is upon us and the speed of technological development threatens to leave regulatory control in its wake.

Those concerns were one of the key themes to emerge from the World Government Summit staged in Dubai this week.

From agriculture and transport to healthcare and education, technology that was once considered science fiction is edging closer to reality.

How that is managed in the decades to come is providing an imminent conundrum for governments and policy makers, and proved a common topic of discussion in forums during the three-day summit.

“I believe we are right at the start of this revolution happening right now and I imagine more natural ways of communication so it will become seamless,” said Carol Riley, president of Drive – AI.

“This means non-verbal communication and machines start to understand what we are thinking.”

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Read more:

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

Cutting edge brain control headset could cut UAE's road deaths

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

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Mind reading robots may sound like a terrifying prospect, but neuroscientists working in the field claim science has the potential to make life easier, and safer – as long as the technology is controlled and regulated correctly.

Speech and face recognition to access mobile devices and bank accounts has become routine, whilst the rise of home assistants like Amazon Echo’s Alexa device and Google Home are early AI applications that are now commonplace.

How this technology develops was a topic of discussion at the WGS involving the father of AI, Juergen Schmidhuber, chief scientist at NNaisense and co-director at Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research.

He has been working since the age of 15 to create a self-improved AI, smarter than himself.

“The next wave is going to be machines getting smart with built-in sensors,” he said.

“They can do all kinds of things that only people can do, so ‘show-and-tell’ robotics will come next when you teach a robot like a child by just showing it how it’s done.”

The rise of ‘fake news’ is a problem blamed on increasing automation and computer generated content with the potential to split society.

Predictions based on research and trend analysis by Gartner forecast that by 2020, an AI-driven creation of a ‘counterfeit reality’, or fake content, will outpace AI’s ability to detect it, fomenting digital distrust.

Most of this fake reality will be delivered to us via platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube, right to our smartphones.

Big data has been the foundation of new development for decades, with tech firms like Google using that information to monitor human trends and make our online experience more symbiotic.

In education, teachers are being given new tools to get the best out of their students.

Google Classroom is offering a universal online method of creating, distributing and grading assignments, whilst online tutorials help parents and schools learn how they can teach children to protect themselves online.

Global hunger is increasing after a decade of decline, as the planet’s population continues to swell providing new challenges to feed the poorest nations.

Alternatives to meat such as insect protein produced on an industrial scale were discussed as a healthier, cheaper and greener source of food that could be seen in most supermarkets in the near future.

Transport was another popular topic, as Dubai aims to switch 25 per cent of all vehicles to autonomous by 2030.

Technology has been described as ‘unstoppable’ by Sebastian Thrun, a German innovator and chief executive of Kitty Hawk Corporation, which aims to develop a flying car.

“It’s a very exciting time,” he said.

“We might eventually be able to upload the human brain onto a machine and in that sense, have it enter immortality.”

In healthcare, a pervasive diagnostics environment where people would receive medical exams while driving, sleeping or showering, could help offer an earlier diagnosis of killer disease like cancer, improving survival rates.

All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia

What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix

When Saturday

Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia

What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.

Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.

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Match info

Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')

Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

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WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA

FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).

FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.

FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.

FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds.  Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.

FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)

FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

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
At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances