UAE cybersecurity chief Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti has been quoted by local reports as saying that the country is fully equipped to meet the challenges as it transitions its government and economy using artificial intelligence or AI.
Al Kuwaiti was quoted by the UAE’s official news agency WAM as saying: “When we talk about the digital transformation, the UAE has really moved from a regular government to a smart government and now going towards an Artificial Intelligence Government [and AI economy] as envisioned by the leadership. We are fully equipped to meet the associated challenges. We are capable to detect and protect [from any cyberattacks].”
The UAE has attained high ranks in many global cybersecurity indexes, he noted.
Ahead of the UAE’s transformation into an AI government and AI economy, a “cyber-pandemic” has caused a quicker digital transformation in society as digital gadgets are used full time by children for e-learning and adults for work from home since the outbreak of COVID-19, Al Kuwaiti pointed out.
“People have directly moved to digital domains due to the pandemic. We call it ‘cyber-pandemic’. However, a culture of cybersecurity [adequate awareness] is still being developed,” he was quoted as saying.
“There is a gap in terms of cybersecurity and we would like to fix it by raising awareness through this forum, similar platforms and cybersecurity drills etc.,” he said.
Each digital device has to be used carefully to ensure cybersecurity and it is everyone’s responsibility, he stressed. “It’s a collaborative effort of all relevant government entities, plus the social entities that are working with us in different communities.”
Moving into an AI government and economy involves sector-wise perspectives, he explained.
“[T]he financial sector will definitely move into AI. In that seamless process, AI will be used to ensure cybersecurity. That huge traffic of data in the transformation is overwhelming but it will be sifted through using AI,” the cybersecurity chief explained.
While the government is using AI for defensive measures of cybersecurity, some other elements may use it for offensive measures, Al Kuwaiti pointed out while talking about the challenges associated with the AI government and economy.