The Second Edition Of The UAE AI Camp Is Launched

His excellency Omar Sultan AlOlama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, said that the UAE Government adopts the uses of artificial intelligence technologies in the education sector in order to build abilities and skills of future generations and enhance their educational experience.

This came during the launch of UAE AI Camp second edition, in the presence of officials from federal and local government entities and senior executives from leading international companies in the technology sector.

His excellency Omar Sultan AlOlama, stated: "The artificial intelligence sector is witnessing a remarkable growth in education around the world with an annual growth rate of more than 31% by 2027, as a result of increased interest in the development of advanced teaching methods. Artificial Intelligence will also enhance the ability of students to develop their skills in creating effective solutions for different challenges".

The UAE AI Camp will be organized in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Al Ain, in cooperation with the Federal Youth Authority, Dubai Future Foundation, Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, Higher Colleges of Technology, and ACTVET.

It will be open for secondary schools and university students and employees in public and private sectors. The camp provides an opportunity to focus on wider areas of artificial intelligence and expands the circle of training programs across UAE.

The Spring Camp, which begins next April, will focus on introducing the most prominent emerging technologies in the field of machine learning and data science, while the summer camp will be held in July and August, focusing on the development of robotics and programming skills.

HE Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said: "We are proud of the efforts of various government and private entities in the UAE supporting youth in various fields to develop their skills. Artificial Intelligence is one of the most important topics that can be addressed by youth-oriented knowledge programs".

"We are proud of the partnership between Federal Youth Authority and UAE National Program for Artificial Intelligence to organize the second edition of UAE AI Camp in the spring and summer holidays for secondary schools and university students. and we hope that such programs will include a wider range of the UAE youth, who will be leaders of the future”.

Dr. Abdullatif M. AlShamsi, President & CEO, Higher Colleges of Technology, said: “We are delighted to co-host the largest artificial intelligence camp in the UAE, which is part of the UAE National Program for Artificial Intelligence aimed at supporting the UAE's strategic vision to create a generation capable of dealing with advanced technologies and creating innovative solutions”.

Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director General of ACTVET, said: The advancement in the use of Artificial Intelligence systems, use of robots, wide spread of Internet of Things, and big data requires us as educators, researchers, specialists and employers to assess and work collaboratively on bridging the current and future digital skills gap, and provide further support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training system, in order to meet future economic and technology developments.

Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), said: “The UAE Artificial Intelligence (AI) Camp is a major milestone in our journey towards the future, considering the massive potential that AI carries and the proliferation of machine learning in all scientific disciplines, industrial fields, and economic and service sectors. With that in mind, it is essential that we train a qualified national workforce, equipped with knowledge of the latest AI applications around the world, as well as with the necessary skills to develop this technology, address challenges, and transform them into opportunities to serve the UAE’s strategic objectives.”

“We, at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, are committed to promoting AI technology as an integral part of scientific curricula,” H.E. Al Marri added. “Engaging public and private sector employees in the camp goes to support that objective, improve our education and research programmes, and keep pace with educational systems and practices around the world. We are confident the camp’s participants will make the most of its programmes and advance our objectives to promote public administration science and research around the Arab world”, he added.

Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said: "We are keen to support the UAE's initiatives and projects to provide youth people with the skills of the future, in addition to enhance their capabilities and helping them achieve their ambitions in cooperation with the government and private sectors around the world, utilizing artificial intelligence technologies to prepare for the future and its challenges.”

Bashar Kilani, Region Executive, IBM Middle East, Digitization with Artificial Intelligence provide a huge opportunity for the UAE which benefits from a young population that is familiar with digital experiences due to the solid infrastructure and richness in data and advanced communication platforms. Accelerating digital transformation through Artificial Intelligence will address many challenges across different sectors like healthcare, transportation, banking, education, etc and will drive the creation of new employment opportunities needed for the knowledge economy which requires different set of skills from today’s traditional economies. We need to invest in the digital infrastructure along with an integrated education system to enable the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Bassel Al Nahlaoui, Managing Director of Careem Gulf, said: “We are proud of our cooperation and partnership with the Office of Artificial Intelligence and the Government of the UAE to raise awareness of the importance of artificial intelligence and to achieve the UAE's leading global position. We are driven by an aim to become the leading technology platform in the Arab region to serve the people of this region first and then to export world-class technology from here to all parts of the globe".

Bilal Al-Hattab, Founder & CEO, said: ”In light of the digital revolution witnessed by the world and based on the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoumand UAE’s government, we at DGWorld are proud to be part of the UAE AI Camp. We will transfer great knowledge to the UAE AI campers as we are the first Emirati company to develop self-driving transportation technology, integrating Artificial Intelligence, and fourth industry revolution using robotics”.

Louay Dahmash, Head of Autodesk Middle East, said: “As a company that thrives on innovation, Autodesk is committed to provide the resources for young students to inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators and engineers. We believe education is key in preparing them to flourish in a future that demands people to make and build more, better, with less negative impact on the world. In support of UAE’s government vision of developing and delivering first-rate education, we are proud of our continued partnership with the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence to empower students through problem solving, collaboration and design thinking. During last year’s inaugural UAE AI Camp, we met hundreds of young students thrilled to learn about AI and how to position themselves at the forefront of technology. We look forward to welcoming many more students this year as they embark on a journey of lifelong learning. When a country encourages such talent through education, it is destined to prosper.”

Ihsan Anabtawi, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer for Microsoft Gulf, said: “In line with our efforts to support the UAE’s AI strategy, Microsoft is working towards accelerating adoption of the latest technologies and tools to enhance innovation and performance across public and private sectors of the country.”

“Our participation in this initiative reiterates our mission to empower of every person and every organization in the country to achieve more, and that involves upskilling and reskilling today’s youth to be future-ready. We believe AI has the power to amplify human ingenuity and extend our capabilities. When made accessible, AI can transform industries, increase productivity and help solve some of society’s biggest challenges.”

Gergi Abboud, Senior Vice President and General Manager, SAP Middle East South, said: “This year, 2019, is a watershed mark for the UAE’s mainstream business adoption of artificial intelligence. Building on our successful first UAE AI Camp, SAP and our digital innovation ecosystem are continuing our support and exchanging global best practices in training the Emirati workforce of the future in AI and machine learning, data science, and robotics. The UAE is at the global forefront of leveraging AI to transform Smart City experiences, from connected mega-events to autonomous vehicles, and to achieve the Intelligent Enterprise’s full potential.”

Mai Medhat, Eventtus CEO, said: "AI is progressing in a way that is opening doors to connections that were never before possible. It is revolutionizing how we interact and has the potential to help human engagement in an unprecedented way. Having an open mind and approach towards using AI to harness human intelligence and capture the essence of social engagement can lead to a new generation of technology that is centered around putting tech out of the way and allowing space for genuinely deep human connections. And we at eventtus, believe that promoting and supporting such initiatives, will accelerate bringing this future, hence fulfilling our vision for a transformative deep connected world”

Last year, over 5000 students benefited from the various partnership programmes that were organised as part of the UAE AI Camp in partnership with 18 entities in private and public sectors.

For more information, please visit: www.aicamp.ae