Will GenAI champion the Arabic language? And more Middle East AI News
Carrington Malin
⚡𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱⚡𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 | CEO Advisor | Artificial Intelligence | Tech Marketing | GTM strategy | Board Advisor
Welcome to Middle East AI News!
Good morning! This week I'm sharing my full news digest, which goes out via Substack every Thursday morning. If you'd like to receive this news digest in your email inbox earlier than this, you can subscribe here. If you're happy receiving the Linkedin version later in the morning, then that's wonderful too!
Some big new headlines this week. Firstly, G42’s Inception (formerly Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence), Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and Cerebras Systems announced the world’s most powerful and most accurate Arabic-English bilingual open-source LLM yesterday; Jais 13B.
The news of the new LLM helps consolidate Abu Dhabi’s position as the fastest growing centre of AI R&D in the region. Jais could also inspire a new wave of Arabic GenAI development in the region, as big organisations, developers and technology firms gain access to a reliable open source LLM that delivers Arabic content.
Meanwhile, late yesterday, news media reported that the US government has introduced additional licensing requirements for exports of high-end AI chips to some Middle East countries. Few details are yet available on this.
Scroll down to find more Middle East AI News!
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/Carrington
Middle East AI News – 31-Aug-23
Generative AI
Will GenAI champion the Arabic language?
#UAE #LLMs - Jais 13B, a new, powerful and high-quality Arabic large language model was launched, under an open source licence on Wednesday. Developed by G42 company Inception, Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and Cerebras Systems, Jais 13B claims superior accuracy over other Arabic LLMs and is accessible under an Apache 2.0 licence via Hugging Face.
It's another huge win for Abu Dhabi's fast-growing AI research and development ecosystem, but could this LLM prove to be a turning point for Arabic AI software?
#Egypt #FinTech - Cashcall introduces Generative AI into its fintech offerings with the introduction of a new AI Competency Centre in Cairo. This move promises enhanced financial inclusion and fraud protection for Egypt. (Egyptian Gazette)
AI Chips
#US #exportregs - US expands restrictions on Nvidia's advanced AI chip exports, targeting not just China but also certain Middle Eastern nations. Nvidia, however, clarifies that the new licensing requirements affect a limited subset of A100 and H100 chipsets. Few details are available publicly about the new regulations or which countries they affect. (Reuters)
R&D
#Saudi #innovation - NEOM declares its ambition to establish a top-tier education, research, and innovation (ERI) sector, spearheaded by the foundation president of NEOM U, Andreas Cangellaris. The ERI sector, including NEOM U and the Talent Academy, seeks to create a comprehensive education ecosystem. (Saudi Press Agency)
Funding
#UAE #funding- e& Capital took part in the Series A funding round for Ikigai Labs, which champions generative AI for tabular data. The $25 million round, which also included contributions from Premji Invest and Foundation Capital, will propel Ikigai Labs' mission of transforming the use of enterprise AI. (Emirates News Agency)
#UAE #funding - Dubai's financial wellness platform, MALY, has raised over $1.6 million in its pre-seed round. Funds will boost MALY's AI tech and expand its automated savings app and bank-linked card across MENA. (Zawya)
Digital Transformation
#Jordan #digitaltransformation - Jordan’s government has revealed a 40% completion in digitalisation, creating nearly 1,000 digital services. The government app “Sanad” now offers 500 services and is used by 500,000 people. (Jordan Times)
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#Oman #facialrecognition - The Sultanate of Oman's Shura council elections will soon be held with the help of a variety of cutting-edge technologies. The mobile application used for voting not only verifies both sides of citizens ID cards, but also uses facial recognition to provide an additional level of security and transparency. (Oman Observer)
National AI Strategy
#Libya #AI - Libya's Ministry of Economy and Trade hosted the first meeting of the government’s new Artificial Intelligence Committee recently, which delved into mechanisms of using AI for enhancing national economic and institutional performance. (Libya Herald)
Media
#UAE #media - AIJRF (Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting) has unveiled the Global AI Journalism Index (GAIJI), shining light on the use of AI by leading media organisations. According to AIJRF, Al-Arabiya leads in AI content creation, followed by Al-Jazeera, Bloomberg Asharq, and others. AI big data analysis tools topped usage at 90.7%. (Zawya)
#Kuwait #media - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) unveils its AI-driven newsroom, ‘KUNA Smart Oasis’, aiming to enhance media content quality and production speed through cutting-edge AI tech. (Zawya)
Healthcare
#Saudi #robotics - King Saud University has opened a 12-bed surgical simulation room for robotic surgery, the region’s largest. The facility, which is part of the Experimental Surgery and Animal Laboratory (ESAL), is equipped with surgical robots and other advanced tools, aims to train surgeons in various procedures. (Saudi Gazette)
#Saudi #healthtech - The King Salman Armed Forces Hospital in Northwestern Saudi rolls out the globe's premier automated medication dispenser, enhancing patient convenience and medication security. (Saudi Gazette)
Education
#Egypt #STEMskills - Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) collaborates with Arish University in a capacity building initiative. Aimed at enhancing IT skills of students and fresh graduates in North Sinai, it plans to train 600 individuals yearly in computer and language proficiencies. (MCIT)
Aviation
#UAE #Singapore #logistics - Global aviation services company DNATA has partnered with Speedcargo Technologies to deliver AI-powered cargo monitoring services for Etihad Cargo at Singapore's Changi Airport. Speedcargo's Cargo Eye computer vision can scan and capture a cargo’s exact dimensions, volume data, images, and labels, providing a comprehensive digital record. (DNATA)
Esports
#Saudi #Esports - Saudi Esports Federation is poised to become a global esports contender within the next decade. With projections hinting at 3.7 billion gamers globally, the kingdom aspires for esports to contribute SR50 billion to its GDP by 2030. (Arab News)
Jobs
#UAE #TechJobs - The IT sector in the UAE is poised for a job boom with a predicted 80% increase in opportunities, according to a report from Equinix. The surge is credited to the growing demand for AI and machine learning talents. (Zawya)
Defence
#Saudi #US #UAVs - The US and Saudi Arabia will begin their second round of joint military exercises to counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) next month at the Red Sands Integration Experimentation Centre in Ar Riyadh province. (Al Arabiya)
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10moGreat to hear that your 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 newsletter is out! The launch of 𝘑𝘢𝘪𝘴 13𝘉, the biggest open source #Arabic #LLM, is definitely an exciting development. The new export regulations on high-end #AIchips to Middle East countries and NEOM's integrated 𝗘𝗥𝗜 sector strategy also caught my attention. Looking forward to checking out the full digest. Keep up the great work! 🔥 Feel free to connect with me to explore more opportunities in the Middle East AI landscape.
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1yThanks for sharing. The ME seems to be accelerating past SE Asia in the development of AI and emerging technologies. It would be fascinating to see where some of these initiatives are in 12 - 24 months