Dubai's testing 5 robotaxis; and more Middle East AI News

Welcome to Middle East AI News!

Good morning! Lots of new things to share this week! And I'm sharing my full news digest today, which goes out via Substack every Thursday morning. If you'd like to receive this new digest in your email inbox earlier than this, you can?subscribe here. If you're happy receiving the Linkedin version later in the morning, then that's wonderful too!

First, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and its autonomous taxi partner Cruise moved another step closer to commercial services, deploying five Chevy Bolt AVs in the emirate’s Jumeirah One district to test technology on the road and gather street ad traffic data. The RTA aims to have 10 robotaxis offering public services in the Jumeirah area from September!

Meanwhile, Saudi’s Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services and emobility company Electromin began a four week trial using a Navya driverless shuttle at Riyadh Front.

And law firm Clyde & Co. discloses that the new Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) which was approved by the Council of Ministers a week ago, will come into effect in September, with full enforcement from Sept. 2024.

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/Carrington

Middle East AI News – 06-Apr-23

Autonomous Vehicles

RTA and Cruise start data collection and testing AVs on Dubai roads

#UAE #robotaxis?-?#Dubai's?Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)?and self-driving car company?Cruise?have begun a testing and data collection trial on Dubai roads to collect data on traffic signals, signage, and driver behaviour among other data using five?Chevrolet?Bolt-based autonomous vehicles in?Jumeirah?1 area.?(Dubai Media Office)

Electromin starts Riyadh Front driverless bus trial

#Saudi #AVs?-?#Saudi emobility turn-key solutions company?Electromin?has started a four week #driverless bus trial at?Riyadh Front?deploying a shuttle from French autonomous mobility systems startup?Navya Group. The project in northern?#Riyadh?was officially inaugurated on Monday.?(Linkedin)

Smart Cities

Naver inks MOUs with Saudi Arabia government

#Saudi #SouthKorea?- South Korean digital giant?Naver?has signed MOUs with?Saudi Arabia's?Ministry of Municipal and Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH)?and?Ministry of Investment Saudi Arabia (MISA). Naver will collaborate with the Saudi government on creating a city-scale digital twin and developing a super app.?(Business Korea)

eVTOL

Ras Al Khaimah to set up vertiport

#UAE #vertiports?- Plans for a vertiport in?#RasAlKhaimah?were announced last month by?VPorts, a company specialising in the design, construction and operation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure. The company is expected to conduct its first flight test in 2024.?(Gulf Construction)

GPT

Botim launches 'region's first' Arabic ChatGPT

#UAE #GPT?-?Astra Tech?technology-focused investment company that is backed by?G42, has unveiled ‘the first Arabic ChatGPT’ in the Middle East and Africa launched in partnership with?Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.?(The National)

Robotics

Infrared Tracking Challenge entry deadline extended

#UAE #robotics?- Abu Dhabi's?Technology Innovation Institute (TII)?has extended the submission deadline of its Autonomous Robotics Research Center’s Infrared Tracking Challenge until May 1, 2023 (5:00pm EST). Entries stand a chance to win $75,000 by developing a solution for real-time autonomous ground vehicle navigation in heterogeneous environments.?(TII)

Saudi Data Law

Saudi PDPL to become effective September 2023

#Saudi #PDPL?- According to law firm Clyde & Co , Saudi Arabia's?Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), issued in 2021, is to become effective in September 2023, with full enforcement coming into effect in September 2024. The country's?Council of Ministers?approved a series of changes to the new law last month.?(Clyde & Co.)

Defence

L3Harris delivers manned-unmanned teaming

#Bahrain #unmanned?- Over the past year,?L3Harris?has worked closely with the?U.S. Navy's combined?Task Force 59, to exercise manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T). Naval exercises included the use of L3Harris' Arabian Fox autonomous surface vessel (ASV).?(L3Harris)

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