‘Machines Can See’ Summit: UAE to be the next Silicon Valley

The UAE government has launched the ‘Machines Can See 2023’ Summit at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, in partnership between Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office and Machines Can See company. During the “Government, Business, and Science” panel discussion at the ‘Machines Can See 2023’ summit, a group of experts from various fields discussed the potential for the UAE to become the next Silicon Valley. Experts visualized Dubai as a place with the capability to envision and bring projects to reality.

Policymakers from the public sector, businesses, and academia explored the possibilities of advanced technologies, specifically in AI, and how Dubai and the UAE are rapidly becoming a hub of such innovations.

Alexander Khanin, founder and director of Polynome, said: “We are privileged to have hosted the ‘Machines Can See 2023’ summit in the UAE. The name ‘Dub.ai’ reflects the UAE’s supportive environment for innovation and AI advancement for humanity’s benefit. We brought some of the brightest minds in the field to the prestigious Museum of the Future, sharing their powerful vision and knowledge”.

Moreover, Sharif El Badawi, CEO of Dubai Future District Fund said: “All cities around the world aspire to become the next Silicon Valley. However, to become that, a city needs to consider the factors contributing to the innovation ecosystem: a combination of talent, capital, private sector engagement and commercialization”.

El-Badawi explained that creating a successful ecosystem similar to Silicon Valley is possible in the UAE by discovering a means to commercialize research and technological innovations. He stated that “The government, academia, and corporates also play important roles in creating an environment conducive to innovation”.

“As the UAE has successfully attracted talent, its next focus should be on knowledge creation and building technical capabilities. This is the next wave happening in the nation. Our efforts will unlock the potential within Dubai’s Government-related entities to create value-add tracks for technologists building in the region,” noted El-Badawi.

Khalifa AlQama, Director of Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Foundation, stated that technology is the most important enabler. He explain that “The most critical aspect is the business value brought by having all the localized infrastructure, which can enable AI adoption as an enterprise. We have established an AI ecosystem, a localized service stack to assist organizations in modernizing data. We need to assist organizations on the ground to modernize their data best and prepare the data for the AI”, AlQama added.

AlQama further suggested that “the problem of modernizing data is more significant than AI itself for organizations”. “Once this issue is addressed, AI can be provided with the right information to generate expected outcomes. Each industry has its own specific requirements, whether it be banking, finance, healthcare, education, or government, which often leads the way with its set mandates” he explained.

The presence of a state-level Ministry of AI in the UAE demonstrates its strong commitment to the advancement of AI technology. The ‘Machines Can See 2023’ summit was held for one day and focused on the current progress and applications of AI, as well as its future in the UAE and globally.

This year’s event featured discussions on the future of computer vision and machine learning, led by experts in 3D computer vision, deep learning, generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and other related fields.