On a one-day workshop on Monday, organized by Smart Dubai Government Establishment and the Smart Dubai Office, the two organizations announced the launch of a Smart Lab to develop public sector services powered by artificial intelligence.
The move is part of an initiative to make the United Arab Emirates the most technologically advanced country in the world over the next half a century. Dubai is already on its way to being the smartest city globally with the recent announcement of autonomous taxi drones.
The Emirati city plans to train government employees to work with modern tools drastically enhancing their efficiency. Machines and artificially intelligent systems could take over of some of the public services of Dubai in the future.
Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr is the face of Smart Labs
Over 200 employees from different government offices will receive training from experts, including courses and instruction on how to fuse technologies with their areas of work to develop smarter solutions.
The lab, which will start operating next month, will also serve as a place to generate, store, and develop ideas from the bright minds working on machine learning and artificial intelligence in hopes of improving government operability.
Dr. Aisha bint Butti bin Bishr, General Director of the Smart Dubai Office, said the plan is to harness the power of cognitive computing to help common citizens with their daily needs, such as enrolling their children in school or getting their calls redirected automatically.
An AI called Saad could guide you in your next visit to Dubai
Last year, the Smart Dubai Government Establishment (SDG) developed a digital assistant to potential investors and entrepreneurs that helped them find the best way to invest in the city.
Its name is Saad, and it has been so popular the SDG is considering developing a full-fledged version of the artificially intelligent assistant as the voice of the city’s public services.
Saad could become the guide for both tourists and citizens when they are using public roads and transportation, visiting tourist attractions, and even paying bills for services like electricity and running water.
The organization wants to turn Saad into an “artificial digital assistant” in the near future. Other machines that can learn are set to become a more cost-effective solution for government at both city and country level thanks to private-public partnerships.
Source: The Khaleej Times