Video: Dubai to get AI-powered personal concierge

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Video: Dubai to get AI-powered personal concierge

Dubai - Acting like a personal assistant, it utilises technology with a "human feel".

By Kelly Clarke

Published: Sun 10 Feb 2019, 1:00 PM

Last updated: Sun 10 Feb 2019, 5:11 PM

"It's 2019 and the new excitement is AI; conversational computing is the new frontier," Will.i.am said during a press conference on the sidelines of the World Government Summit 2019 in Dubai.
Come May, Dubai will act as the launch pad for the Middle East's first AI-powered mobile application that will act as a "personal concierge" for users.

#Dubai to get AI-powered personal conciergehttps://t.co/DLWsg5GIlt
Video by Kelly Clarke/Khaleej Times#WorldGovernmentSummit pic.twitter.com/5lHldLoDfu
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) February 10, 2019

In collaboration with Majid Al Futtaim, Will.i.am, founder of I.AM+ said the Omega platform - an AI-powered conversational and contextual voice assistant technology - will be launched in Arabic language. The Middle East is the first market globally to launch the platform.
What differentiates Omega from its competitors is its "context", he said.
Acting like a personal assistant, it utilises technology with a "human feel".
"Omega gives us solutions that are as fast as voice command. The difference between this and other platforms is the conversation flow. We foresee that Omega will be our new companion going forward."
Speaking at the launch, Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence said "I feel like my child is being born today".
"A year ago at the World Economic forum I started a discussion on the future of AI and how it's going to improve peoples' lives. Will had a vision. He said that through AI we could have our own personal assistant with us, 24/7, doing everything we need at the touch of a button. At that time it was just a concept to me. Today, we are here in Dubai announcing the launch."

#WorldGovSummit: https://t.co/XTITIuAFRF, founder of https://t.co/NlaG8qHszg+ speaking at the World Government Summit 2019.

Follow our live blog for more updates - https://t.co/Q3snPOJWUo #AI #IoT #OmegaPlatform #AIforHumanity #Data

Video: Kelly Clarke/KT pic.twitter.com/1QWICuAoU8
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) February 10, 2019

Officially launching in May, Will.i.am said he is "passionate about bringing AI forward for humanity and empowering people with their data".
"When we were talking about potentially collaborating, it dawned on me that this region does not have an operating system of its own. There is no tool that people can develop on, native to the region.it hasn't contributed to connectivity with a tool like this, so it makes it the perfect launch pad," he said.
Speaking about the collaboration, Alain Bejjani, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim - Holding described Omega as a "practical reality where AI is coming to life, to better our lives".
And going "above and beyond what the likes of Google and Siri can provide", Will.I.am said Omega is more sophisticated in that it doesn't have to switch between apps to assist users.
"Now I just want to make sure my team is focused on getting all the dialects in place for this platform in this region. It's a whole new voice-assisted experience. What the internet was to 1999 and the smart mobile was for 2009, AI is the new excitement for 2019. Conversational computing is the new frontier."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com