How Dubai's 'AI family' forms part of a global conversation
So far, we have met only one member of this digital clan, a remarkably lifelike little girl – dressed in traditional attire – who is shown in a short video smiling at the camera as she plays in a park. To help encourage community participation, she invited the public to help select her name from three options – Dubai, Mira or Latifa.
The project will introduce more members of the family − including the girl's father, mother and brother − to form a complete digital representation of an Emirati household. The interactive cast of characters will operate as brand ambassadors for Digital Dubai, an organisation that promotes the integration of online services and advanced technology in everyday life.
Although such lifelike anthropomorphising may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is undoubtedly a smart way of getting residents to engage with the myriad digital and AI services that the emirate has invested so much in setting up. More importantly, it is also an significant contribution to the global conversation about this pivotal technology.
In a week during which the EU introduced a wave of new rules and regulations to govern artificial intelligence across its 27 member states, the arrival of Dubai's first digital family is just the latest step in the UAE's AI journey, one that provides valuable experience and insights into how this rapidly developing technology is shaping our everyday lives.
In June, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced that a National Artificial Intelligence System would become an advisory member of the UAE Cabinet, starting in January next year. And as Dubai's AI family was making its debut, a new report found that the emirate ranked in the top five world cities for AI, beating San Francisco, widely considered the birthplace of the modern tech industry.
In a week during which the EU introduced a wave of new rules and regulations to govern artificial intelligence across its 27 member states, the arrival of Dubai's first digital family is just the latest step in the UAE's AI journey
Seeing how citizens and residents interact with AI in the public realm of municipal services and government policy offers real-time feedback, providing more substance to a debate that can sometimes seem nebulous, focused as it often is on data centre megaprojects, technical innovations or international deals.
Giving AI a human face is often an emotive subject, but there is little doubt that the practice will continue. In 2023, a Kuwaiti media outlet unveiled a virtual news presenter generated using AI, with plans for her to read online bulletins. In April this year, Dubai AI Week heard how the technology's rapid evolution may soon result in digital replicas of employees in workplaces, potentially reshaping job roles and intellectual property rights.
Given this, the more we can learn about how society and AI interact, the better. And learning more about how 'digital families' and 'AI ministers' operate in a complex, dynamic and multi-cultural society – such as the UAE's – will be instructive.
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