UAE ‘leading by example’ with launch of generative AI guide

The aim of the guide (119-page / 7.84MB PDF) is to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the generative AI technology. It sets out the ways in which these rapidly emerging technologies can be leveraged to benefit key sectors including education, healthcare, automotive and media, while also focusing on addressing several important issues in the context of these digital advancements, like data privacy protection, reliability and quality control of AI outputs.

The guide defines generative AI as a subset of AI that involves training machines to generate new and original data, such as images, music, text or videos. The key difference compared to ‘traditional’ AI, which operates on pre-existing data sets to recognise patterns and make predictions, is that generative AI can produce entirely new content by learning from existing data sets.

ChatGPT and Midjourney are among a list of 27 AI applications and platforms on which the guide has provided details and case studies. For ChatGPT alone, the guide gives nearly 70 different real-life examples of how this platform can be used to carry out different tasks and improve efficiency for the benefit of new businesses, students, job seekers and new employees.

According to the guide, businesses can take advantage of ChatGPT for a wide range of advice and assistance, from planning a social media marketing campaign and drafting business plans to proposing customer relationship management software and generating innovative business ideas.

Regulatory law expert Barkha Doshi of Pinsent Masons said that AI is being rapidly adopted and is providing many benefits. But she added that the unprecedented speed at which AI is being rolled out and developed means strategic oversight and governance have become even more critical for its responsible use and risk mitigation.

“The UAE government yet again is leading as an example by not only regulating technology but also actively adopting innovation and technology in regulatory governance. It strengthens the UAE’s global stance as a leader in technology and AI,” said Doshi.

While the UAE is showing its willingness to use AI as a driver of future diverse and flexible innovations, the guide pointed out a common shortfall of the current AI platforms – the insufficient Arabic language applications for natural language processing.

“Arabic language, spoken by over 420 million people, ranks fifth in terms of its prevalence worldwide Nonetheless, the limited availability of Arabic language resources and tools in software applications is a significant obstacle to programming development in the Arab world, as most software applications primarily support English and other foreign languages,” it said.

The guide estimated the generative AI market generated revenues of roughly $86.9 billion in 2022. It predicted the sector would grow at an average annual rate of 36.2% from 2022 to 2027 due to surging demand for the technology.