ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 13th Dec, 2018) In a rapidly changing world of technology, countries that lag behind are bound to pay a heavy price. While many nations are just starting to think about utilisation of smart technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), the UAE has been fortunate, thanks to visionary leadership, to have already made rapid strides and lead the digitalisation race in the region, an editorial in a local English language daily has said.
A report prepared by the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus, a technology hub of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, has stated that the UAE ranks first in the region in terms of enterprise adoption of AI applications with an annual growth rate of 33.5 percent.
The report quotes PwC’s 2017 forecasts that the contribution of AI to the global economy will increase to $15.7 trillion by 2030, and that AI will contribute $96 billion to (13.6 percent) to the UAE GDP by 2030.
The editorial, in today's edition of The Gulf Today, said, "Incidentally, the UAE ranks first in the Arab world in terms of expected annual growth of AI contribution to the economy at 33.5 percent."
Perseverance pays and the UAE is reaping the benefits of proactive approach. A glance at the country’s key achievements this year in terms of the overall reinforcement and development of AI applications reveals the depth of the success story.
In January, the Ministry of Health and Community Prevention created a system to manage hospitals that aim to ensure the integration of AI in health facilities, bed management and the "PACE Real-Time Dashboard," as part of the ministry’s participation in the Arab Health Conference Exhibition.
Three months later, the country’s construction and transport sector declared the start of the implementation of AI in Federal road projects, which will reduce project implementation periods by 54 per cent, fuel consumption by 37 percent, labour dependence by 80 percent, and the number of equipment by 40 percent.
On May 11, the UAE adopted 26 mechanisms related to the use of AI in many economic sectors while the University of Dubai signed an agreement with the Roads and Transport Authority to establish a research centre for the roads and transport sector.
To cap it all, in November, a federal law was issued that will enable the UAE Cabinet to grant a temporary licence to implement unregulated but innovative projects based on AI and other advanced technologies, which aims to provide a safe and experimental environment for future technologies.
"Smart thinking has certainly paid rich dividends for the UAE," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
