AI will play a critical role in unprecedented times

The UAE has invested $2.15 billion in AI over the past decade, and 94% of companies in the country report involvement in AI at executive management level.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be at the heart of empowering businesses and industries to better respond and recover from challenging times and pave a way forward into the new normal, experts said at the Microsoft AI Virtual Summit.
The event, attended by over 450 individuals, brought together industry leaders from the finance, healthcare, and retail sectors to share their experiences and to highlight the power of AI in ensuring business continuity and its profound impact on organisations and communities. The summit also shared insights on how key sectors of the country can harness intelligent technology to drive massive disruption with greater agility and efficiencies.
"There's probably never been a better time to put technology into action," said Ihsan Anabtawi, chief operating and marketing officer at Microsoft UAE. "We are committed to making AI more accessible and to its advancement driven by ethical principles that put people first, which will support driving meaningful co-innovation with organizations in the UAE to address pressing business, government, education, civic, social and health needs and challenges."
According to a recent study, the UAE has invested $2.15 billion in AI over the past decade, and 94 per cent of companies in the country report involvement in AI at executive management level - the highest percentage of any surveyed country across Middle East and Africa.
The AI Virtual Summit also delved into various topics around how technology is advancing health and medical services, enabling Retail and FSI Industries, and how leaders and organisations can adapt to become future ready, in line with an approach to a more responsible, inclusive, and trusted AI.
In response to the growing demand for its intelligent cloud and AI solutions, Microsoft has two cloud regions in the UAE that exclusively serve its Middle East customers. These facilities - one in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai are enabling organizations in the region to avail enterprise grade reliability and performance, combined data residency, security, and the broadest compliance standards.
business@khaleejtimes.com