Unlocking Human Potential in the Gulf Region through Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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AI Isn’t New. How We Engage with It Is.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the buzz these days, in no small part thanks to Generative AI (GenAI). While AI has been part of our lives for quite some time now – from maps and navigation to text editors and autocorrect, and from search and recommendation algorithms to social media – we’ve never engaged with AI so consciously and immediately as we do now with GenAI. And while it’s tempting to think of AI as a threat to our agency, we train and prompt AI, which requires both practice and creativity; our engagement with AI is symbiotic.

Already in early 2023, just two months after its launch, ChatGPT had set a record with 100 million monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to UBS. Today, ChatGPT has an ever-growing user base of more than 180 million.

And OpenAI isn’t alone. Just last month, in July, we unveiled our latest Large Language Model (LLM), SenseNova 5.5 , which outperforms SenseNova 5.0 by 30 percent, and excels at mathematical reasoning and grasping of instructions. In terms of interactivity, among other core indicators, SenseNova 5.5 has already proven to perform at least on par with GPT-4.?

The Power of AI Lies in Unlocking Human Potential.

It’s no surprise then that this new quality and level of engagement with AI – as illustrated by GenAI – has raised new questions, brought back old ones, and calls for continuous, open exchange between experts, developers, users, and the public. Joint stewardship is integral to ensuring that AI enriches lives, improves experiences, and helps unlock human potential. Recently, we had the pleasure of working with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), our Joint Venture partner, on AI for education. We held a two-day summer training camp for youngsters to demystify AI and help develop AI capabilities.

Opening the black box of AI and cultivating the skills needed to thrive in a future that will undoubtedly be shaped by AI is indeed crucial. According to some estimates, executives may have to reskill up to 40 percent of their workforce in the next three years as a result of implementing AI. Lifelong learning is an imperative that needs to begin with today’s young.

Our collaboration with PIF on the recent summer camp builds on our longstanding engagement with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). As part of the Saudi AI Education Program , aimed at 30,000 students and 2,000 teachers, we delivered a comprehensive, nation-wide AI curriculum on complex topics such as Computer Vision and Deep Learning. The program is expected to feature both Arabic and English content in the foreseeable future and is also set to be accredited by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education.

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Our World Is Changing. And so Must We.

Through our efforts to increase understanding of and familiarity with AI in Saudi Arabia, we’re contributing to advancing Vision 2030 objectives of diversifying the economy, empowering citizens, and attracting international investors. We’re also supporting regional AI agendas, as Gulf states are racing to build and refine their own LLMs and cultivate AI required talent.

“The annual growth in the contribution of AI is expected to range between 20-34% per year across the [MENA] region,” according to PWC .

It’s out of our commitment to unlocking human potential that we continue to invest in advancing the transformative power of AI through applications such as smart spaces, smart tourism, smart cars, and smart healthcare. It’s through AI that we can accelerate human, national, as well as regional development, thereby laying the foundation for a brighter future.

A lot has changed since I studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. AI was a distant prospect then, thesis research involved countless hours sifting through bookshelves in the library rather than prompting a search engine or LLM. But what hasn’t changed is the age-old adage that the future always outstrips our imagination. It’s precisely that truth that makes adaptation our most crucial trait and lifelong learning so vital.

By viewing AI not as the enemy, but a product of human ingenuity, and one of many tools in the human artifice, we might just be able to keep up with a future that is always one step ahead of us. To empower the next generation and to leverage AI in pursuit of a world that works in everyone’s favor, is what keeps me motivated and what shapes everything we do.

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#Technology #Creativity #Innovation #AI #Youth_education #SenseTimeMEA

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