What is the gig economy and what’s the deal for gig workers?
The rise of the gig economy has led to significant shifts in employment, with workers increasingly balancing multiple income streams....
Business
Hub71-backed ABHI to set up global headquarters in Abu Dhabi
DUBAI, UAE - With support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Hub71-backed ABHI, an embedded finance platform founded in...
- ABHI is working with Abu Dhabi Investment Office as it scales up its operations to capture growth opportunities in emerging markets.
- ADIO provides a range of support to the FinTech company, including incentives and connections to the Abu Dhabi ecosystem.
Business
Mac computers could reach new glory due to AI
SAN FRANCISCO, US - Forty years after igniting a PC revolution, Apple's Mac is stronger than ever and could reach new...
- Macs became the preferred choice for Apple fans along with artists, film makers and other creative professionals.
- Apple has been making inroads in business, getting help from iPhone lovers using their smartphones for work.
Arts & Culture
AI and death: Sundance films grapple with our digital afterlife
Park City, United States -- Artificial intelligence promises to make death "optional," as the technology learns to perfectly emulate our personalities,...
- The filmmakers found themselves empathizing with the customers after hearing their tragic stories of bereavement.
- Western society is terrible at dealing with grief, they said, and technology can appear to fill the gap left by religion for many.
Business
Healthcare industry globally faces data hacking threat
DUBAI, UAE - In an age where data is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, the industry faces an escalating threat...
- The IBM Cost of Data Breach Report reveals that in 2023 the average global cost of healthcare data breach reached $10.93 million.
- In the Middle East, the cost implications of data breach reached $9.18 million in 2023, above the regional average across all sectors.
World Economic Forum
In Davos, AI excitement persists but fears over managing risks
A recent IMF report said AI would affect nearly 40 percent of jobs around the world, and some 60 percent...
- Over the course of the week, more than 3,000 policy makers, business executives, academics and innovators discussed some of the world's most pressing issues at the annual meet.
- The Forum announced it will hold a special meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia, on “Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy for Development” on 28-29 Apr 2024 in Riyadh.
Business
Google CEO says more layoffs are likely this year
SAN FRANCISCO, US - Google CEO Sundar Pichai has warned employees that more layoffs are in store at the search engine...
- Google laid off around 12,000 people this time last year, about six percent of its workforce, in the face of inflation and rising interest rates.
- The company confirmed it is eliminating "a few hundred" positions from its global ad team, amid a push to use AI for efficiency and creativity.
Arts & Culture
Japan literary laureate admits using ChatGPT for her novel
TOKYO, JAPAN - The winner of Japan's most prestigious literary award has acknowledged that about "five percent" of her futuristic novel...
- The 33-year-old author of Tokyo-to Dojo-to openly admitted that AI heavily influenced her writing process as well.
- Set in a futuristic Tokyo, the book revolves around a high-rise prison tower and its architect's intolerance of criminals.
Business
Aramco Digital, Intel to join hands
The aim is to help develop of Open RAN technologies.
- The facility is expected to drive innovation, foster technological advancements and contribute to the digital transformation landscape in the Kingdom.
- This collaboration aims to align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which focuses on technological advancements and economic diversification.
World Economic Forum
IMF chief at Davos: AI holds risks, opportunity for global economy
Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world but also offers a "tremendous opportunity" to boost flagging productivity...
- "We must focus on helping low-income countries in particular to move faster to be able to catch the opportunities that artificial intelligence will present," Georgieva told AFP.
- Georgieva said 2024 is likely to be "a very tough year" for fiscal policy worldwide, as countries look to tackle debt burdens accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Business
Global personal computer shipments decline 14.8 percent in 2023
DUBAI, UAE - Worldwide PC shipments totaled 63.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2023, a 0.3 percent increase...
- PC shipments reached 241.8 million units in 2023, a 14.8 percent fall from 2022.
- This is the first time that shipment volume has dipped below 250 million since 2006.
What is the gig economy and what’s the deal for gig workers?
The rise of the gig economy has led to significant shifts in employment, with workers increasingly balancing multiple income streams....
Company News
Du, Samsung ink agreement
Business
Latest News
Cyber insurance shapes the future of cybersecurity
Cyber insurance, particularly around ransomware, is moving towards a world where insured businesses have strong cyber resilience, well-defined disaster recovery...
Opinion
Potential investors value Telegram at $30bn, says co-founder Pavel Durov
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – The Telegram is valued by potential investors at more than US$30 billion, the co-founder of the social...
Business
Most Read
Business
Cryptocurrency Ether witnesses meteoric rise since launch
NEW YORK, US – Bitcoin has captured the limelight in recent weeks as it surged to a new record high, yet...
- Launched in 2015, Ether is by far the second-largest digital currency in terms of total value, now estimated at over $460 billion.
- Bitcoin's rise has been well-documented, but Ether's has been even more impressive, surging almost 72 percent year to date.
Geostrategy
Italy begins probe into OpenAI’s new video tool Sora
ROME, ITALY – The European country's data protection watchdog - Italian Data Protection Authority - said on Friday it has launched...
- The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was concerned over “the possible implications for the processing of personal data of users.”
- The watchdog said OpenAI -- which also makes chatbot ChatGPT and the image-generating DALL-E -- has 20 days to provide information.
AI tools still permitting political disinfo creation, NGO warns
The success of ChatGPT, from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, has over the last year ushered in an age of popularity for generative...
- The non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) tested various AI models with directions to invent images
- Using programs such as Midjourney, ChatGPT, DreamStudio and Image Creator, researchers found that "AI image tools generate election disinformation