The UAE began to draw new features for its economy using artificial intelligence, more than 14 years ago, and at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. However, in the past four years, specifically with the beginning of the “Corona” pandemic, there has been a major shift and an unprecedented boom in benefiting from… Of artificial intelligence applications, supported by advanced infrastructure, and the readiness of various sectors to work remotely, and provide services with the same efficiency, and with faster quality.
Institutions, banks, service agencies, energy companies, aviation companies, and retail trade competed to prove the feasibility of their huge investments in “process automation,” which they made over a full decade, which contributed to completing all tasks with great ease. Thus, there became two models of work, commerce, and life in general that work. With the same efficiency, you can move between them at any time: the “realistic model” and the “virtual model.”
The UAE is the first country in the region to adopt a comprehensive plan for artificial intelligence, as it launched the “UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence” in 2017, as part of the “UAE Centenary 2071”. The country also ranked fifth in the world, and first in the Middle East in the “Global Vibrance” index. 2024” issued by Stanford University.
Experts in the information technology, finance, and energy sectors expected to “Emirates Today” that the coming years will witness a major boom in the use and application of artificial intelligence, based on several components that the UAE possesses, including that it is not a consumer of artificial intelligence, but rather a participant in its manufacture.
They stressed the importance of having more legislation that balances the expanded application of artificial intelligence, and developing plans to qualify human cadres, pointing to what is called “artificial intelligence ethics,” meaning diversifying data and information to cover all aspects of life, and taking into account differences between countries, and the diversity of cultures and values. And climate change from one region to another.
They also pointed out the importance of ensuring the protection of the confidentiality of customer data from hacking, stressing that artificial intelligence represents a qualitative shift in the UAE energy sector, and several other sectors, by increasing efficiency, improving safety, reducing costs, and creating a real renaissance in the economy.
They also expected that artificial intelligence applications would contribute to reducing the cost of operations in the oil sector by 20%.
Types of artificial intelligence
In response to this, the consultant for administrative sciences and information technology at G&K, Asim Jalal, told Emirates Al-Youm: “The boom that the use of artificial intelligence is currently witnessing is the generative intelligence that we use, such as (Chat GPT), which we use.” In writing texts, research, etc., but artificial intelligence applications began in the UAE years ago.”
He added: “There are seven types of artificial intelligence, including those used to recognize patterns, and it is used in retail trade, the banking sector, energy, electricity, and water, and in it data is given for previous periods, providing predictions and readings about what will happen in the future and during the seasons, and thus “You can make accurate decisions and learn from previous patterns.”
He continued: “The UAE also uses artificial intelligence in the investment, tourism, and hotel sectors, as well as the service sector such as water and electricity, as it can measure consumption patterns and whether there is unusual waste, and thus the consumer is alerted, and so on.”
Industry partner
Regarding future expectations, Jalal said: “The coming years are expected to witness a major boom in the use and application of artificial intelligence, based on several components that the UAE possesses, including that it is not a consumer of artificial intelligence, but rather a participant in its manufacture. It also occupies fifth place in the world, surpassing many From European and Western countries, and has clear plans and strategies, and appointed the first minister in the world for artificial intelligence, in recognition of the importance of this new sector years ago, and before the consumer boom occurred at the level of people, after it had been “It is limited to laboratories and companies.”
He said: “Among the components of development in this field in the Emirates are the presence of advanced legislation and technical infrastructure, cloud computing, and high-speed and advanced communications, which constitutes an integrated system, in addition to the availability of energy, as all of this requires very large electrical energy, so it is expected that The shape of the economic sectors in the UAE is witnessing a major transformation and an unprecedented boom as a result of the applications of artificial intelligence, not only at the level of large companies, but also for their small and medium counterparts, as well as youth projects that are based on innovation.”
Legislation and qualification
In response to a question about what the market needs in this new field, he said: “What the market needs in the UAE is the presence of more legislation that strikes a balance, upon expanded application, between reliance on it and, at the same time, managing the job opportunities available to members of society. In addition to developing plans to qualify human cadres, commensurate with the scale of development witnessed by the various economic sectors, and rearranging priorities with regard to assigning jobs and distributing them between the human element and artificial intelligence.”
Jalal pointed out that there is what is called “artificial intelligence ethics,” meaning diversifying data and information to cover all aspects of life, taking into account differences between countries, diversity of cultures and values, climate change from one region to another, as well as the diversity of religions, and so on.
He explained: “As an example of this: If data is provided to artificial intelligence about cold regions of the world only, this will not benefit the residents of hot regions, and this can be measured in all matters, meaning that there is importance of justice and ethics in application and use in general.” Here, the importance of what the UAE has done in creating locally produced models of artificial intelligence is highlighted, to meet the aspirations of the peoples and countries of the region, as the performance of artificial intelligence is overshadowed by the form of information and data that is entered into its systems.
He continued: “We are on the cusp of using general artificial intelligence, and this means that what we will see in the coming period will be higher and faster than what we saw before, and that there is a major change in the complete scene, whether at the level of the economy, or life in general.”
Banking sector
For her part, banking expert, Awatef Al Harmoudi, said: “Artificial intelligence has become one of the basic technological systems for all sectors, the most important of which is the banking sector, as it has become an essential factor in improving the efficiency of operations and ensuring the speed of completing transactions, and this was clearly evident during the (Corona) pandemic. Artificial intelligence has helped banks a lot in moving to the virtual work model, without customers feeling the difference. Rather, many of them appreciated the experience in terms of speed, response, and implementation.”
Al Harmoudi added: “Despite the many advantages of artificial intelligence applications in all economic and service sectors, there is a specificity that banks must pay attention to, related to the necessity of ensuring the protection of the confidentiality of customer data from hacking, in addition to qualifying and maintaining human cadres working in the sector, as Large sums of money have been spent on their education and training, and they constitute one of the most important assets of any bank.”
Al Harmoudi continued: “Relying on artificial intelligence also helps banks and companies manage risks better, in addition to managing operations, predicting future profits and losses, as well as many daily operations, but excessive reliance on it requires clear plans to ensure that it does not control at the expense of the human element.” ».
Reduce cost
In turn, the economic expert and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Shumukh Oil Services Group, Dr. Ali Al-Amiri, said: “Artificial intelligence has significantly changed the shape of the economic sectors in the UAE, especially the energy sector,” pointing out that the impact was profound, as artificial intelligence is a major driver of modernization and improvement. .
He added: “Artificial intelligence was used to analyze huge data from oil and gas wells, to determine the best ways to improve production and reduce waste. It was also used to predict potential problems, which saved time, effort and money, in addition to investing it in how to optimally exploit natural resources, by identifying locations. “The most productive, and determining whether a field is still producing at maximum efficiency or not? In addition to helping in developing new technologies to reduce the environmental impacts of energy, and in monitoring safety, inspecting equipment, and identifying potential risks.”
Al-Amiri continued: “Among the areas in which artificial intelligence has been used is: improving automation processes in power plants, which reduces dependence on human labor and ensures work more efficiently, in addition to using it to analyze data related to solar and wind energy for more accurate predictions about their production. This helps in managing resources more effectively, as well as analyzing data from supply chains, to identify points of deficiency or discrepancies, which provides opportunities for improvement and optimal planning, and remote control of systems and operations in the energy sector, which increases operating efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.”
Al Ameri added: “As for other sectors, artificial intelligence technologies have been used to improve marketing and e-commerce strategies, identify market needs and analyze consumer data. Artificial intelligence has also helped in developing interactive curricula, providing individual support to students, and customizing educational experiences to their needs. As for services, Business, artificial intelligence has been used to manage operations, analyze data, forecast demand, and improve the efficiency of operations.
Al Ameri said: “Therefore, artificial intelligence represents a qualitative shift in the UAE energy sector, and many other sectors, by increasing efficiency, improving safety, reducing costs, and creating a real renaissance in the economy.”
Al-Amiri expected that artificial intelligence applications would contribute to reducing the cost of operations in the oil sector by 20%, and it may double in the coming years with the expansion of application.
$96 billion future contribution to the economy by 2030
PwC Middle East expects that artificial intelligence will contribute $96 billion to the UAE’s economy by 2030, equivalent to about 14% of the gross domestic product.
According to a report issued by the IDC Information Technology Research Foundation, UAE investment in artificial intelligence has witnessed a growth of about 70% over the past three years, while the country’s investments in this field are expected to reach 33 billion dirhams (about nine billion dollars). At the end of 2024.
In addition, estimates indicate that the artificial intelligence market in the UAE will reach about $5.22 billion (19.2 billion dirhams) by the end of the year.
in 2024, compared to $3.47 billion in 2023, which reflects the strong trend towards adopting advanced technology.
“Dewa”: 95% customer satisfaction with “Rammas”
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has strengthened its leadership in accelerating the adoption of the uses and applications of artificial intelligence and generative artificial intelligence, after its use of the latest disruptive technologies, including generative artificial intelligence and “Chat GBT” technology, resulted in providing a pioneering experience with added value that enhances happiness. concerned.
The authority revealed that since the start of using its virtual employee based on artificial intelligence, “Rammas,” in 2017, and the use of the version based on generative artificial intelligence and supported by “Chat GPT” technology in April 2023, “Rammas” has answered more than 9.6 million inquiries since its launch. Until the end of the first half of 2024, while the customer satisfaction rate with “Rammas” reached 95%.
A $10 billion fund
G42 Holding Company, which specializes in artificial intelligence and cloud computing and is based in Abu Dhabi, announced the establishment of a $10 billion fund that focuses on technology investments in emerging markets, which strengthens the UAE’s position as a global center for advanced technologies.
An economy based on artificial intelligence
GITEX Global 2024, during its 44th session in Dubai, highlighted the pivotal role of artificial intelligence, as a transformative tool to reshape industries and promote economic and commercial growth globally. The exhibition was held with the participation of more than 6,500 exhibiting companies, 1,800 startup companies, and 1,200 investors, to Government agencies from more than 180 countries attended, and more than 200,000 visitors attended, which highlights the importance of the event and its topics.
The 2024 edition was held under the slogan “Global cooperation to shape the economy of the future based on artificial intelligence,” and witnessed the holding of the first summit of digital economy leaders in the world.
The UAE’s most important goals in adopting artificial intelligence
. Enhancing economic efficiency and reducing operational costs by up to 50%.
. Creating an innovative environment that encourages research and development in artificial intelligence.
. Improving the quality of life for citizens and residents.
. Achieving a leading position for the UAE as a global center for the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies.
. A major boom in the use of artificial intelligence in the UAE in the coming years.
. The UAE is a participant in the artificial intelligence industry, not a consumer of it.
. The need to find legislation that balances expanded application and job opportunities available to individuals.
. Training human cadres is an important requirement to deal with the new form of economic sectors.