Future Beat: Powerful predictions

Does one university professor posses the ability to save us all the time, hassle and debates in the months ahead, and correctly predict who will become the next president of the United States?

That's a gross oversimplification of American University in Washington DC’s distinguished professor of history Allan Lichtman's approach to making election predictions, but it's intriguing to say the least.

Whether or not you agree with his methods, the idea of predicting is something almost ingrained in the human spirit. We don't like to be caught off guard and we enjoy the peace of mind that comes with any form of foresight, be it in the form of weather forecasts, stock tips or even sport scores.

At the centre of all of these prediction efforts is technology, but even with the assurance of technological progress, there's often uncertainty.

Quite simply, nobody knows which technology will win. Regardless, if history is any indicator, humans will keep predicting.

Cody Sigel Combs , Future Editor

The Big Story

China's AI patent boom

In brief | Inventors in China are filing the most generative artificial intelligence patents, significantly overshadowing those from the US, South Korea, Japan, India, the UK and Germany, the UN agency for intellectual property has said.

Between 2014 and 2023, a total of 38,210 inventions involving generative AI were filed in China, six times more than second-placed US, which had 6,276 filings during the period, a World Intellectual Property Organisation report found.

Also according to the report, Chinese companies and institutions dominated the generative AI patent space, securing six of the top 10 slots.

Three US companies, Microsoft, Alphabet and IBM, made the top 10 as well, with South Korea's Samsung also on the list.

Why it matters | The surge in AI patent filings around the world provides proof of concept for many who insist that AI will be a game-changer.

Frankly, the debate is over and much of the world has come to accept that we're all standing on the threshold of change.

The more speculative notion surrounding all these patents revolves around whether quantity equals quality and, for that matter, success and economic influence.

The interesting thing about AI is that it speeds up many processes that used to be tedious and time consuming. With generative AI, everything, including the process of filing patents, has become expedited. Inevitably, many of these patents might be rendered moot by forthcoming patents but some will succeed, and those will be interesting case studies once the dust clears and winners emerge.

Quoted | “Through analysing patenting trends and data, we hope to give everyone a better understanding of where this fast-evolving technology is being developed and where it is headed ... we are confident that the report will empower innovators, researchers and others to navigate the rapidly evolving generative AI landscape and its impact on the world”

– Daren Tang , director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO

Future in focus

Warning label | Here's what proposed social media disclaimers for children may look like

Catch up | After seeing a video clip about Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport, Elon Musk had a message for other airports

Threading the needle | One year since its launch, has Meta's Threads secured a future for those who want an alternative to Twitter?

Monitoring migration | Morocco to host talks on 'worrying' prospect of AI chemical weapons

Predicting the future: Signal or noise?

The UAE's first fully equipped honey-testing laboratory is using AI to ensure the product's quality and discover more about the health of bees. Health technology company M42, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, has launched the lab at the Central Testing Laboratory at the Masdar City sustainability and innovation hub.

This is a signal: Certainly the technology world is always buzzing about the potential applications for AI, but this particular implementation sweetens the imagination. OK, enough of the bee and honey puns. In all seriousness, this honey-testing laboratory shows that AI doesn't necessarily have to be the centrepiece, but rather can be sprinkled on top of existing processes to increase speed and precision. In this case, AI can enhance the workflow of a laboratory and become a force multiplier, impacting the quality of honey, enhancing the safety of the honey and, at the same time, positively boosting the health of our natural world.

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