By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia

Human values are needed to make the transition to Artificial Intelligence (AI) more inclusive and less disruptive for everyone, says  the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the UAE His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. He states that creative approaches to innovation and technology development are crucial to our continued economic growth and societal success.

Speaking at the “Machines Can See” global summit 2024, held at Dubai’s Museum of the Future on Wednesday, HH Sheikh Nahyan highlighted the need to ensure the preservation of humanity while continuing innovation toward a future that is safe, fulfilling, prosperous, and tolerant for all.

“We must always be concerned for the welfare of all human beings and be willing to take action to see that everyone has a positive future and a high quality of life. We witness that concern acted upon daily here in the UAE, which looks forward to a future where successful economies around the globe are human economies that incorporate human values and needs into how growth and progress are achieved. Under the UAE’s wise leadership, the nation acts on the conviction that tolerance and human fraternity must shape technological innovation,” he said. 

HH Sheikh Nahyan hailed the “Machines Can See” summit as an initiative that explicitly incorporates the values of tolerance and coexistence into every aspect of AI.

One of the most prominent summits for A), Machine Learning (ML), and Computer Vision (CV), the “Machines Can See” event brought leading subject experts from around the world. The event was organised in collaboration with the UAE’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence.

The annual summit explored trends in generative AI, computer vision, investment, and education in line with the UAE’s strategy to position Dubai as the world’s AI capital.

“The exponential growth of applied Generative AI over the past 18 months drives innovations, creating new markets, new industries, and even a new society. The collective quest to achieve these breakthroughs will improve the quality of life for us all, and it is both exciting and inspiring. However, we must remain aware of our work’s ethical and moral dimensions as innovations affect the economy and society with unforeseen and unintended consequences when implementing new technology,” Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan remarked. 

Further talking about the impact of AI on society and the quality of life, the Minister said that it reminded the ethical and moral dimension that demands our attention and concern. “Our ability as humans to achieve the benefits of AI and machine learning while avoiding potential pitfalls will require consideration and support in at least three areas, including assessment of the human desirability of the design choices, regulations to ensure responsible adoption and application, and global cooperation to address both the opportunities and challenges embedded in the technology.”

According to him, tolerance and shared human values are the key to effectively addressing all three of these requirements and to helping realise AI’s economic and social benefits.

“We regularly review and refine the laws and regulations needed to ensure that technology does not outpace our ability to manage it. We collaborate with others around the world for a future of peace and prosperity for all. We are committed to keeping the UAE a model environment for innovators, enabling them to succeed. We promote research and continued dialogue about the relationship between human values and technology and how to ensure those values are preserved,” he concluded.

Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications office, H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama said, “The UAE is advancing towards its visionary goal of becoming a global leader in AI by 2031 with a strategic focus on fostering groundbreaking advancements and unlocking a plethora of transformative opportunities across economic, educational, and societal realms. This will catalyse unprecedented growth for its citizens, governmental entities, and businesses. The nation aims to significantly expand its economic footprint on the global stage, positioning itself as a formidable force in key domains of strategic importance by harnessing the power of AI-driven solutions.”

The event also witnessed the announcement of the results of the Generative Interior Design Challenge. 32 teams participated in this challenge from across the world.Team DECEM secured first place, winning USD 7,000 followed by team STABLEDESIGN and team XENONSTACK, securing second and third places respectively.

Commenting on the success of the summit, CEO and Founder of Polynome Events FZE, the official organiser of “Machines Can See” Alexander Khanin said, “We are proud to present a diverse scientific and business agenda at the Summit, hosting renowned researchers delving into the cutting-edge developments shaping the future of AI, while exploring practical applications of AI across various industries and streamlining business operations to enhance urban living.”

Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Professor Timothy Baldwin said, “The Machines Can See event offered a broad platform to discuss key aspects of AI and its potential impact on society. As the world’s first university specializing in AI research, MBZUAI’s faculty shared latest research findings and new innovations in a range of areas, in particular, foundation models for multimodal applications. It was also useful to engage with our international peers on key discussions regarding the importance of fostering AI talent to support ambitious government and business goals.”

The summit also revealed winners of the Generative Interior Design Challenge, organized ahead of the event, participated by 32 teams from around the world.

Team DECEM emerged as the first place winner with a cash prize of USD 7,000.  Team STABLEDESIGN and team XENONSTACK  secured second and third places with cash prizes of USD 5000 and USD 3000, respectively. The winners also received special prizes from NVIDIA.

Leading innovative companies, including NVIDIA, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), AI71, Core42, Intema, Dubai Business Events (DBE), Dubai Future Foundation (DFF),  Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Century Financial, and Emirates, supported the summit.