AI will continue to play a significant role in social services, including healthcare, education and transportation
Artificial intelligence was cemented as key authorization technology in the future of smart cities. However, growth in the UAE and the region depends on an ecosystem, which welcomes several other technologies with it. By doing in the Artelligence Forum 2021, Dr. Saeed Al Dhiheri, a member of the future world council on the virtual and augmented reality, the World Economic Forum, shared, how the UAE is working for a future based on innovation.
“AI is going to play a big role in social services, such as healthcare, education, transportation, public safety and consumer behaviour,” he said. “We use AI without even being aware of it.”
Already, he said that there are several cases of AI being successfully used in various industries, including healthcare.
“Medical image identification is using AI to check if patients are suffering from cancer. AI today has achieved an accuracy of 99 per cent in correctly diagnosing women with breast cancer, better than any other screening methods. AI will also bring inclusion in terms of areas where there is a shortage of medical staff,” Al Dhaheri said.
In transportation, AI has been known to reduce road congestions, traffic accidents, air pollution through autonomous cars, and improve road safety, he added.
“Already today, you have cars with safe lane-changing features that alert you if you are not paying attention, and Google Maps are giving you directions on how to best navigate to your destination,” he said.
Al Dherheri said that attention focuses on attention to the establishment of AI as enabling technology together with innovations such as VR, IoT, AR, Blockchain, Big Data, Drones and 3D Printing. He also stressed how important it is to have a good data strategy and the availability of talent.
“Data is now the new oil for the digital economy. Without good quality, high volume data, all this AI and machine learning that you hear about today is not going to be feasible. We are very lucky to be in a city like Dubai that has already launched a very comprehensive data strategy and data protection laws. Also, without the right talent, you cannot get anything meaningful from all these data projects,” Al Dhaheri said.
Rahul Misra, vice-president of Applications Sales, Lower Gulf & South Africa, Oracle, also discussed the importance of predictive analytics, and creating an environment where data is ethically sourced to develop solutions.
“We find ourselves in a world where data is readily available in silos, but we need to make use of it and leverage it to make informed decisions,” Misra said.
He added that technology shifts are driving digital disruptions. “According to recent reports, 84 per cent of companies have said that AI is key to gaining a competitive advantage. However, the biggest challenge facing organisations today is how to outpace change.”
“Around 37 per cent of firms have said that they spend more time collecting data than analysing it; while 59 per cent said that they have difficulty in extracting data from legacy systems,” he said.
The companies that use AI stood firmly on the street to solve several important challenges today, he added. These include real-time decisions, optimization of resources, improving your customer experiences and creating new income models.
