When he made his debut in London, Eric, dubbed the "man without a soul", stood up, bowed and made a four-minute speech - one that was to transform the way we think and live forever. Less than a century later, fears are rife that artificial intelligence will render an entire workforce obsolete, make poor, low-skilled workers even poorer and force us all into a life of unemployment, with robots performing most, if not all, of our functions. A whole subculture of science fiction, art and fearmongering thrives on that notion. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, the UAE's new Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, thinks those fears are unfounded.
Speaking for the first time since his appointment, he said AI was not the force for evil many have built it to be, nor a premonition of a dystopian state of affairs where we are all controlled by robots, as some have warned. Instead, as part of the UAE's Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, it could offer lifesaving solutions to climate change, transportation, education and health and transform the infrastructure on which we all rely. The benefits, argues Mr Al Olama, far outweigh the negatives.
Nor is the UAE alone in its endeavours. Last month Saudi Arabia became the first country in the world to grant citizenship to a robot. The remarkably human-like Sophia graciously thanked her host nation and deflected concerns about a nightmare scenario. "You have been watching too many Hollywood movies," she joked.
So is there any basis for those fears? Certainly we are a long way from knowing the full impact of scientific developments and the vast technological leaps being taken today. Just as Eric’s creator cannot have known where the world would be less than 100 years later, we are still in the dark about how humankind and its humanoid counterpart might comfortably co-exist.
The important issue is to ensure any advancements in technology are done with humankind's best interests in mind and in a safe, controlled, governable manner. That is something that has been recognised by the UAE's government and implemented in its 2071 centennial masterplan. Like us, government officials cannot possibly see into a crystal ball - but they are putting measures in place to ensure working for society's good is at the forefront.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Results
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5