Latest news with #ALKHAWALDEH
Al Etihad
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
AI risks and opportunity for news industry take centre stage at Arab Media Summit
28 May 2025 00:41 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (DUBAI)The transformative power of AI in the media landscape dominated the agenda at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, with top regional officials and thought leaders urging media institutions to embrace emerging technologies or risk being left at one of the forum's headline panels, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office, and Chairman of the UAE Media Council, stressed that adapting to emerging technologies and understanding how to deal with them determines the global competitiveness and relevance of media Hamed noted the global shift from traditional media to technology-driven platforms, emphasising the need for media entities to embrace this transformation.'Media platforms that fail to adapt to modern technologies will vanish,' Al Hamed said, adding the landscape continues to evolve rapidly. He called for the responsible and conscious use of modern Hamed stressed that the media must stay at the forefront of technological change to remain relevant and continue engaging younger against complacency amid rapid tech advancements, he added: 'If you don't learn it today, it will be hard to learn it tomorrow.'Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Noaimi, Minister of Information of Bahrain, highlighted the dual-edged nature of AI's rise in the industry. 'Arab media is at a critical stage due to the entry of AI,' he said. 'There is an opportunity for us to elevate our industry but also the potential to go backwards.'Al Noaimi stressed that successfully integrating AI would depend on more than just innovation, saying that institutional commitment and human adaptability were essential to ensure the proper and ethical utilisation of the technology. He called for comprehensive workforce transformation led by institutions embracing AI from the very top. 'The AI is there to help people, so we need to help them understand it and learn to use it — we need to bring people along.' Credibility amid Faster News Cycles With information cycles moving at a pace that's faster than ever, the media must also deal with the changing expectations of news consumers, said Abdulrahman Al Mutairi, Kuwait's Minister of Information and Culture.'Today, the speed of news is very important, but it must have credibility and accuracy,' Al Mutairi said. 'AI can help in that and should therefore be welcomed — although it needs to be implemented in the right way to ensure this.' Irreplaceable Human Element From a technological perspective, Dr. Marwan Alzarouni, CEO of Artificial Intelligence at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, envisioned a future where AI lowers barriers to entry and fuels creativity. 'There will be one-person start-ups,' he predicted, highlighting how AI tools could democratise media creation and entrepreneurship. While he acknowledged the novelty and disruptive force of current AI advances, he reminded attendees that humans would remain central. 'Despite all of this advancement, the future will definitely still be human-based.' That human focus was further emphasised by Hamad Al Shirawi, Director of Projects at Dubai Future Foundation, who likened fears surrounding AI to early internet anxieties. 'When you talk about your concerns, it's only natural — just like when the internet came out,' Al Shirawi said. 'It is a wave that we will have to ride, and we will have to learn.' Once considered an optional edge, AI is now a core requirement for success, he added, calling on media professionals to see it as a change to up their game rather than a replacement for their talent. 'It used to be a secret weapon. Now it's a weapon that you must have,' said Al Shirawi. 'Don't be afraid of AI. Embrace it.'
Al Etihad
25-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE retail set to reach $162b by 2028, leads GCC in e-commerce: Report
25 May 2025 23:10 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) The UAE's retail market is forecast to reach $162 billion by 2028, growing at an average annual rate of over 5% from $127.2 billion in 2023, according to a new report by Logic Consulting. According to the Middle East-based group, the UAE leads the region in innovation, digitalisation, and sophisticated e-commerce offerings, despite having a smaller market than neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Titled "Revolutionising Retail: Unveiling GCC's Five-Year Transformation", the study positions the UAE as the most digitally advanced retail market in the GCC.E-commerce sales, which reached $3.9 billion in 2020, growing more than 50% year on year, are expected to become increasingly dominant. According to Logic, this is reflected in consumer preference, with 69% of UAE shoppers saying their loyalty increased for brands that allowed them to shop online and return-in-store. "As GCC nations continue to transition away from oil dependency, retail has become a key enabler for fostering domestic consumption, attracting private investment, and catalysing the development of adjacent industries, including logistics, real estate, technology, and tourism," the report said. The report outlines how major UAE-based retailers are leading the charge, using big data and AI to forecast demand, reduce waste, and personalise consumer journeys. Innovations such as click-and-collect, virtual fitting rooms, and loyalty-integrated apps are becoming the includes success stories from the likes of Majid Al Futtaim, Lulu Hypermarkets, and Noon – with many offering expanded services, same-day delivery, and increasingly competitive ways to shop, and receive items on demand. Moreover, the report details the rising appetite for luxury items and notes the UAE's leading role as a luxury hub in the region. According to Logic, approximately 70% of consumers in the GCC report increased spending on luxury items. "The UAE hosts a substantial number of high-net-worth individuals and millennials who drive the demand for luxury goods and immersive shopping experiences. This cohort values exclusivity, personalised services, and innovative retail environments," the report said. "'Phygital' experiences cater to their desire for interactive and seamless shopping journeys. For instance, luxury brands in the region are adopting augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance customer engagement and provide unique in-store experiences." Despite rapid changes in the retail landscape, traditional neighbourhood shops – namely the 10,000 or so Baqalas on street corners – remain dominant in the UAE's grocery retail sector. A Kantar Worldpanel study cited by Logic shows that these stores continue to make up 60% of shopper traffic.
Al Etihad
19-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Strong energy sector gives Abu Dhabi competitive edge in global AI race
20 May 2025 00:18 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) Abu Dhabi's rapidly evolving AI ecosystem is closely tied to its world-class energy sector, experts said at a conference on Monday, following last week's landmark announcement of the record-breaking 5GW UAE-US data centre. The capital's abundant energy resources are expected to give it a competitive edge in the global AI race, the industry leaders added. "There's no AI without energy," said ADNOC Drilling CFO Yousef Salem, reflecting on the UAE's upcoming AI campus during talks held at the Arqaam Capital MENA Conference in Abu Dhabi. "The simultaneous announcements with major US players like Exxon and Occidental are not coincidental … Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as the nexus of energy and technology, creating a holistic strategy that fuels exponential growth."Last week, ADNOC and Exxon Mobil Corp and Occidental announced plans to expand the nation's oil and gas production capacity. Deals which Salem said were heavily influenced by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. He said the emergence of AI had become a key factor in future energy decisions. This sentiment was echoed by Magdalena Konig, General Counsel and Company Secretary at AIQ, who praised the UAE's leadership for pre-empting the global AI-energy dialogue years ago. "You cannot talk about the silicon age without addressing energy efficiency," Kenesbai said. "Data centres use about like 2% of global energy, but that is actually expected to increase by about 50% by the end of this year. And I think by the end of the decade, it's going to increase by, you know, 165%, the symbiosis between energy and AI is not optional; it is critical." Konig said the strategic partnerships Abu Dhabi has forged with US technology giants - which coincided with strong energy ties - were critical to developing the infrastructure required to support AI's massive computational and energy Prashanth Marpu, CTO at Smart Solutions part of Space42, added that Abu Dhabi's investments are not merely symbolic. "All this infrastructure is being built because it will be fully utilised," he said. "We are building platforms that not only serve the UAE but also offer solutions globally." The panellists agreed that Abu Dhabi's strategy of building both AI and energy ecosystems end-to-end gave it a competitive edge. They believed that by investing in everything from academic institutions and research hubs to industrial partnerships and regulatory sandboxes, the emirate was constructing a comprehensive innovation landscape. "This clustering of industries creates gravitational pull, making Abu Dhabi a magnet for talent, capital, and technological breakthroughs," Salem said. "AI and energy are two sides of the same coin, and Abu Dhabi holds that coin firmly in its hand."
Al Etihad
18-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
New UAE-US Data centre to make Abu Dhabi a global AI powerhouse
18 May 2025 22:10 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) In a landmark announcement that could reshape the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape across the Middle East and beyond, the UAE and the US have unveiled plans for a massive 5GW AI data centre campus in Abu Dhabi. The project, described as the largest of its kind outside the US, will position the UAE as a strategic digital hub capable of serving nearly half of the world's at Qasr Al Watan on Thursday, in the presence of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump, the project launched its first 1GW data centre, which would be part of a sprawling 10-square-mile campus - an area larger than the European principality of Monaco."To put the new 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi (UAE) into perspective, it would support up to 2.5 million NVIDIA B200s," Lennart Heim, AI expert at RAND Corporation, said in an X post that quickly gained traction across the tech community."That's bigger than all other major AI infrastructure announcements we've seen so far." Why Data Centres? Data centres are the physical infrastructure that powers AI applications by providing the massive computing resources needed to process complex algorithms, train large language models, and store vast datasets. These facilities house specialised hardware - including the NVIDIA B200s, a highly sought-after AI accelerator chip - designed to handle the massive computing demands of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI. Having AI data centres located locally is critical because it reduces data latency and improves real-time processing capabilities, which are essential for applications like autonomous vehicles, smart city systems, and national security fully operational, the Abu Dhabi campus will provide low-latency compute power to a market spanning nearly 3.5 billion people within a 2,000-mile radius, covering Africa, South Asia, and parts of Europe. It will become the go-to source for AI computing in a large part of the world - with the UAE's prime location once again giving it an advantage in the era of AI, much like it has in logistics, air travel and other industries. Craig Scroggie, CEO of NEXTDC and Chairman of La Trobe University Business School, said this will not only generate substantial revenues for the UAE economy but will give them a geopolitical footing in the emerging world that is likely to be dominated by the technology. "This initiative positions the UAE as a credible AI infrastructure hub and signals a clear alignment of capital, compute, and policy," Scroggie in a LinkedIn post. "The scale, governance model, and partner ecosystem reflect a growing trend - AI infrastructure is no longer just a commercial play, it's becoming a geopolitical instrument." Trump's Middle East visit Continue full coverage
Al Etihad
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Disneyland to open in Abu Dhabi in historic first for the region
7 May 2025 16:53 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI )A Disney theme park will be built on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island, setting the stage for one of the most significant entertainment developments in the region's history, it was announced on Wednesday. The landmark announcement was made by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, and Robert A. Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Taking the stage to thunderous applause, Iger described the announcement as a 'thrilling moment' in Disney's 102-year journey. 'It will blend wonderful Disney stories and characters with the cultures and tastes of this country and this region, and will serve as an oasis for extraordinary entertainment and experiences for millions and millions of people,' he said. 'What we are creating with Disney in Abu Dhabi is truly a first of its kind — authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.' This will be Disney's most interactive and advanced park yet, Iger said, praising Abu Dhabi's commitment to progress, innovation, and cultural respect. A video mock-up appeared to show a vast park that would extend along the Yas Island coastline, adding to the area's growing list of attractions, which include Warner Bros. World and Ferrari World. 'This is my third visit here in just nine months,' he said. 'Each time I come, my admiration for the UAE, the government of Abu Dhabi, and our partners at Miral grows deeper.'Iger said Disney's famed Imagineering team is already at work, designing a park that will combine contemporary architecture, cutting-edge technology, and authentic Emirati culture. The project will offer visitors immersive experiences powered by the latest storytelling tools, while also serving as a major tourism and economic driver for the mega attraction is expected to attract millions of visitors annually, drawing families from across the Middle East and beyond. Construction timelines, opening dates and details of the park are yet to be announced. 'Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be a celebration of what's possible when creativity, collaboration, and cultural understanding come together. It will be a place of joy and wonder — not just for today, but for generations to come,' Iger said.
