Tech leaders unite to propel future-critical sectors at GITEX GLOBAL 2025
Dubai, UAE: With capabilities of AI advancing every year, its potential to address challenges once thought unsolvable is rapidly expanding,...
Business
Floating wind power sets sail in Japan’s energy shift
Still heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, Japan has declared offshore wind energy a "trump card" in its drive to...
Geostrategy
Business
AI to replace 4,000 jobs in Southeast Asia’s largest bank: DBS
Singapore, Singapore -- Southeast Asia's largest bank DBS said that 4,000 jobs could be cut in the next three years...
- A Bloomberg Intelligence report last month said banks worldwide will cut as many as 200,000 positions in the next three to five years due to AI.
- Last year, the International Monetary Fund said AI could affect around 40 percent of jobs around the world.
Business
OpenAI board rejects Elon Musk-led $97.4 billion buyout offer
San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI's board chairman on Friday said it has unanimously rejected an Elon Musk-led offer to buy...
- Musk filed court documents saying he will withdraw the offer to buy OpenAI if its board returns the artificial intelligence pioneer to a non-profit "charity" model.
- OpenAI currently operates a hybrid structure, as a non-profit with a money-making subsidiary.
Business
UAE to launch DeepSeek-inspired AI models: Faisal Al Bannai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates is planning to launch new artificial intelligence models inspired by China's DeepSeek,...
- The UAE is betting big on the transformational technology as part of its push to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels.
- The UAE launched Falcon in 2023, a large language model that compared favorably with industry leaders including OpenAI's ChatGPT.
World Economic Forum
Art and culture retain power to humanize the Intelligent Age, says WEF’s Fowler
Davos, Switzerland -- In an age where artificial intelligence is reshaping our lives, the World Economic Forum's Arts and Culture...
- I see talent emerging in the MENA region, UAE especially. Saudi Arabia is extremely exciting at the moment with the focus they're placing on culture, Fowler said.
- The UAE is extremely forward-thinking. They absolutely have a finger on the pulse when it comes to technology and how technology can be integrated into everyday life.
World Economic Forum
Tech Mahindra’s Ram Ramachandran: MEA, India key to shaping future in multipolar world
Davos, Switzerland -- The Middle East, Africa, and India have an important role and influence in shaping the evolving world order...
- The representation accorded to the Middle East, Africa, and India at Davos shows the growing promise of the region towards global world order, he said.
- We are going to see innovation happening from the Middle East outwards, which has never happened earlier, Ramachandran said.
World Economic Forum
Risks are interconnected, need collaborative solutions, says WEF’s Mark Elsner
Davos, Switzerland – Mark Elsner, Head, Global Risks Initiative, World Economic Forum sat with TRENDS during WEF’s summit in Davos...
- The Global Risks Report 2025, with insights from over 900 experts, identifies state-based armed conflict as the most immediate risk for 2025.
- The report was circulated ahead of the Davos meeting, which serves as a platform for advancing dialogue, cooperation, and partnerships.
Geostrategy
Norway nears 100% goal of all-electric cars
By comparison, the share of electric cars in Europe was just 13.6 percent in the full-year 2024, a decline for...
- A total of 9,343 new cars were sold in January, of which 8,954 were all-electric, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) said.
- Of the 50 most-sold models, only two were non-electric, the first of which came in 33rd place, the OFV said.
World Economic Forum
Maori-led AI initiative can revolutionize language preservation, says Peter-Lucas Jones
Davos, Switzerland -- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Kaitaia native, who has been listed in the prestigious Time100 AI 2024 List, was...
- Peter-Lucas Jones, a Time100 AI 2024 List honoree, discussed AI's role in preserving the Te Reo Maori language at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- His team at Te Hiku Media developed Te Reo Maori natural language processing tools and an automatic speech recognition model.
World Economic Forum
Readying for jobs of tomorrow: WEF’s Till Leopold stresses upskilling
Davos, Switzerland -- In the next five years, millions of jobs will be created. Governments, employers, and education institutions, therefore,...
- The key report findings highlighted that there will be 78 million new job opportunities by 2030 but urgent upskilling is needed to prepare workforces.
- The fastest-growing skills by 2030 will include technological skills alongside human skills, such as cognitive skills and collaboration.
World Economic Forum
Lithium-sulfur batteries will transform energy storage, says Lyten’s Horvath
Lyten, a Silicon Valley-based company, is revolutionizing the energy storage market with its groundbreaking lithium-sulfur battery technology. These batteries offer...
- Lithium-sulfur batteries are about half the weight of a lithium-ion batteries, but they have twice the energy density.
- These batteries work better in heat and, therefore, will be better suited to tropical countries that are expected to grow at a much faster pace.
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Tech leaders unite to propel future-critical sectors at GITEX GLOBAL 2025
Dubai, UAE: With capabilities of AI advancing every year, its potential to address challenges once thought unsolvable is rapidly expanding,...
Business
Company News
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Urgent need for ‘global approach’ on AI regulation: UN tech chief
Geneva, Switzerland -- The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top...
Geostrategy
91% of new renewable projects now cheaper than fossil fuels alternatives
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Renewables maintain their cost leadership in global power markets, IRENA’s new report on Renewable Power Generation...
Geostrategy
Humans beat AI gold-level score at top maths contest
Sydney, Australia -- Humans beat generative AI models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, despite...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
AI needs to be smaller, reduce energy footprint: UNESCO study
Paris, France -- The potential of artificial intelligence is immense -- but its equally vast energy consumption needs curbing, with...
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that each request sent to ChatGPT consumes on average 0.34 Wh of electricity, which is 10-70 times a Google search.
- UNESCO calculated that AI energy demand is doubling every 100 days as generative AI tools become embedded in everyday life.
Geostrategy
Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
- Nursultan Taabaldyev is one of the pioneers of the technology in Central Asia hailed as an environmentally friendly alternative to water-intensive concrete.
- They are "made of 60 percent rice husks. The rest is clay, cement and a chemical-free glue," Taabaldyev told AFP.
Business
AI robots pluck weeds in California fields, make up for shortage of laborers
Los Banos, United States -- Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused...
- As farms across the US face a shortage of laborers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money.
- Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants.