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...
Geostrategy
‘Writing is thinking’: do students who use ChatGPT learn less?
Paris, France -- When Jocelyn Leitzinger had her university students write about times in their lives they had witnessed discrimination,...
Science
Business
ADQ and US equity firm ECP to invest $25bn in data center energy projects
Dubai, UAE -- Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has partnered with the American private equity firm Energy Capital Partners...
- Though the partnership’s primary focus will be the USA, a portion of the capital may also be allocated towards opportunities in selected other international markets.
- The combined initial capital contribution from the partners is expected to amount to $5 billion.
Geostrategy
Deepfakes can clone your voice in 5 seconds, tech firms mount defense
Las Vegas, United States -- Tech firms are fighting the scourge of deepfakes, those deceptively realistic voices or videos used...
- Hong Kong police recently revealed that a multinational firm employee was tricked into wiring $26m to crooks who staged a videoconference with AI avatars of his colleagues.
- A recent study by identification start-up iBoom found that a scant tenth of one percent of Americans and Britons were able to correctly tell when a picture or video was a deepfake.
Business
China’s Baidu releases new, free AI model to compete with DeepSeek
Baidu announced in a WeChat post that its latest X1 reasoning model -- which the company claims performs similarly to...
- Baidu also made the models free to use, more than two weeks ahead of schedule. Previously, users had to pay a monthly subscription to access the company's latest AI models.
- Technology companies in China have been scrambling to release improved AI platforms since start-up DeepSeek shocked its rivals with its open source and highly cost-efficient model
Interview
The future of logistics: Insights from DHL’s Amadou Diallo
The future of logistics is a convergence of technology, sustainability, and human ingenuity, which are transforming supply chains into more...
- in the MEA region, key hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Casablanca, Salalah, Nairobi, Durban, and Tema serve as vital nodes for regional distribution.
- Additionally, hubs like Istanbul, Dubai, and Addis Ababa improve connectivity within this region, said Diallo.
Interview
Electric, hybrid and aerial to entirely transform city life: IIT Madras expert
Easier commutes with faster, quieter, and eco-friendly vehicles would reduce travel times significantly and reduce stress for urban residents, says...
- Large and hugely populous Asian countries like India have abundant sunlight, making solar power a natural fit for supporting EV adoption.
- The ePlane Company’s air taxis will revolutionize urban transport by offering faster and more efficient ways to move within cities.
Economy
Smart cities lead GCC’s IoT boom: NEOM and Smart Dubai in focus
IoT applications are transforming critical sectors such as transportation, where connected vehicles improve traffic management, utilities where smart grids enhance...
- For instance, to manage the flow of massive stadium crowds during the FIFA World Cup, Qatar leveraged “digital twins,” aggregating data from 40,000 IoT devices.
- In a similar vein, Dubai’s Enterprise Command and Control Center uses a combination of AI, digital camera, and thermal imaging technologies to oversee 11,000 surveillance cameras.
Interview
Tech and sustainability drive Singapore’s smart tourism vision
To realize its vision for “smart tourism”, Singapore Tourism Board is leveraging cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, data analytics, and...
- STB’s Tcube, a hybrid innovation space launched in 2021, has helped tourism businesses introduce tech solutions, including Al, into their operations.
- More than 1,100 tourism companies have benefited from Tcube programs. Its Singapore Tourism Accelerator has supported 47 start-ups to develop 58 industry solutions across 6 cohorts
Interview
AI’s US$19.9tn contribution: Insights from Tealium on digital economy’s future
By 2030, every dollar spent on AI-powered solutions is expected to generate US$4.60 in economic value, according to global analyst...
- Scaling AI solutions across industries presents significant challenges, particularly around data quality and privacy, Coyne said.
- At Tealium, we take an active role in educating and empowering our customers to maximize AI’s potential while mitigating risks, he added.
Interview
GCC a key player in global freight and logistics industry, says Trukkin’s Dalmia
The region leverages a strategic major hub, advanced infrastructure, and economic diversification to fuel logistics demand, says Janardan Dalmia, Founder...
- The GCC Freight and Logistics market size is valued at US$76 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2030.
- Governments in the GCC are also reducing bureaucracy, and spending money on improving the infrastructure, Dalmia said.
Interview
Building futuristic sustainable urban cities starts from the underground up
Underground innovation, digitization, and AI are vital for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future cities, says Sam Wiffen, director and founder...
- By 2050, the population of the world’s cities is expected to double from the World Bank’s current estimate of 4.4 billion people.
- Modern citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with urban living characterized by overcrowding, noise pollution, environmental challenges, poor infrastructure, inadequate responses.
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...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Meta secures nuclear energy in 20-year Illinois plant deal
Washington, United States -- Facebook owner Meta announced Tuesday a 20-year nuclear energy agreement with US-based Constellation Energy to secure...
Business
Hey chatbot, is this true? AI ‘factchecks’ sow misinformation
Washington, United States -- As misinformation exploded during India's four-day conflict with Pakistan, social media users turned to an AI chatbot...
Geostrategy
The five biggest-selling gaming consoles
From the first video game consoles of the 1970s to the Nintendo Switch 2 due out on Thursday, hundreds of...
Business
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Business
Saudi Pro League announces long-term partnership with Maaden
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi Pro League (SPL) and Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) have agreed a long-term strategic...
- The partnership will focus on strengthening Maaden’s position as an employer of choice in Saudi Arabia
- The collaboration will also explore joint initiatives across community engagement and national talent development
Business
Trump expands Apple tariff threat to all smartphones
Washington, United States -- US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened Apple and other smartphone manufacturers with a 25 percent...
- Trump initially said the tariff would apply only to Apple -- an unusual move to single out a specific company in trade policy.
- While Apple designs its products in the United States, most iPhone assembly occurs in China, which remains embroiled in a trade war with the United States.
Business
Anthropic’s Claude AI gets smarter — and mischievious
San Francisco, United States -- Anthropic launched its latest Claude generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models on Thursday, claiming to set...
- "Claude Opus 4 is our most powerful model yet, and the best coding model in the world," Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei said.
- Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 were described as "hybrid" models capable of quick responses as well as more thoughtful results that take a little time to get things right.