AI skills academy to empower Emiratis
dubai — From imaginative robots painting masterpieces to epic rap battles between humans and machines, the Dubai World Trade Centre came alive with some jawdropping experiences showcasing the real power of artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday.
Among the several futuristic launches at the two-day AI Everything Summit 2019 was the launch of an AI Skills Academy.
The event is organised by the UAE National Programme for Artificial Intelligence, in partnership with Smart Dubai and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The event was inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group and chairman of Dubai World; and the keynote address was given by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.
Addressing hundreds of guests and AI experts, Olama said: “The UAE government works with innovators and companies from all over the world to create new solutions employing AI technology and develop future sectors. The AI Everything Summit represents a global event that supports our efforts to share successful experiences in the field of artificial intelligence and become a global leader in adopting this technology.”
Dr Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, director-general of Smart Dubai, said the event aims to explore AIbased innovations across various sectors, including government, creative economy, social enterprises, education, energy, finance, healthcare, transport and logistics, travel and tourism, retail, security and telecommunications.
After a number of power-packed keynotes and talks by AI experts from around the world — such as Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and the visionary who pioneered AI at Google and Baidu; and Dr Lim Goh, the AI leader behind Nasa-HPE’s most powerful computer sent into space — came the launch of the AI Skills Academy. This academy was put together in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) that was represented by Dr Abdullatif M. Al Shamsi, president and CEO of HCT.
“Our visionary ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during his last visit to the HCT instructed us to convert our college into a free economic and innovative zone. To do that, we have worked with the Ministry of AI to start this academy in line with the country’s AI Strategy 2030, aiming to empower UAE nationals to foster, formulate, partner, impact and develop,” Al Shamsi said.
The academy does not have a traditional programme. Instead, it is falls in line with different levels of professions — whether related to machine learning, robotics and processing, among others. It starts at entry level, then goes up to supervisor, managerial and director levels. “We have developed a model with the AI ministry so that it is integrated with the work environment and the applications are being implemented during work — and not in a classroom,” he said.
“The academy is not just about short courses or training for a few days. It is built on an ecosystem model that starts from an academy board, with advisers from the industry to help us update skills regularly; ensures funding is provided for the transition of students; and sees to it that recruitment is provided.”