UAE’s digital push proves hugely beneficial

Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation, recently stated that the great developments witnessed by the telecommunications and digital sector in the UAE is a key driver for innovation and contributes to advancements in government services. He is absolutely correct.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart technology are reshaping the future of the world. The UAE has pressed the right keys when it comes to adopting smart technology.

The Dubai Future Foundation recently announced a partnership with du to provide it with the 5G technology, thus becoming the first government entity in the region to adopt the 5G indoor coverage.

Such continuous upgradation at various levels of governance, keeping pace with ever-changing technology, has helped the nation lead the digitisation race in the region.

The Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, has now launched a Corporate Automated Chat System, Mahboob, via WhatsApp channel, as part of a plan to step up communication channels with its customers.

The step has been taken following the successful launch of the service on RTA’s website and ‘RTA Dubai’ App.

The automated chat service is quick when it comes to responding to customers’ inquiries, without human intervention. The initiative uses Artificial Intelligence, AI, technologies and natural language processing algorithms.

Similarly, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, has obtained a verified WhatsApp business account to communicate with its customers.

The new feature relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI) through Rammas, DEWA’s virtual employee. Customers can communicate with DEWA in both Arabic and English round the clock through WhatsApp.

Dubai Customs too has announced the launch of its new e-statistics system, which has been developed in-house to keep abreast with the technological advancements in the UAE towards embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

As pointed out by Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director-General of Dubai Customs, the e-statistics system is the first electronic interactive system-of-its-kind in the country for the preparation of foreign trade statistics.

It involves fast and automated data processing, verification and validation, and the generation of statistical reports. It provides accurate, transparent and integrated foreign trade data for all sorts of goods based on the Harmonised System classification.

As a secure, single source of statistical data, the system provides interactive dashboards that empower decision makers to closely monitor the changing trends of foreign trade and therefore make informed decisions.

Separately, Khalifa University of Science and Technology have announced a major foray into building talent and human capital in artificial intelligence, AI, by unveiling three initiatives, the Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems Institute, AI Institute; a Programme in Artificial Intelligence; and the Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge, MBZIRC, that will be held in February 2020.

Khalifa University has committed a funding outlay of more than Dhs160 million over a five-year period for projects under the scope of the AI Institute.

This is in addition to the Dhs160 million already committed to the Emirates ICT Innovation Centre, thus making the university’s total spend on AI research projects more than Dhs320 million.

The AI Institute is Khalifa University’s third institute and will aim to bring all the university’s research in robotics, AI, data science and information and communication technologies under a single umbrella.

The Programme in Artificial Intelligence, the first-of-its-kind in the UAE, will be available to all undergraduate, graduate and PhD science and engineering students starting from the fall 2019 semester.

With such proactive approach, it is no wonder that the UAE leads the digitalisation race in the region.