< Previous40CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com SPECIAL REPORT AI AI-driven technologies promise to transform society in a way not seen since the Industrial Revolution. Naturally, it will take work to get there. All progress requires early explorers to take the bold first steps into the unknown” - Charles Yang, Huawei Middle East president There was a time when the idea of a machine doing the same things humans can – and in some cases doing the same things even better than humans – seemed about as practi- cal as a ceramic crocodile or rubber lion somehow coming to life and playing third base for the New York Yankees while at the same time also running a chain of used- car dealerships specialising in import models operating on a cash-only basis and strangely located in somewhat dodgy suburban neighbourhoods; in other words, complete and utter nonsense. But that was then. This is 2019. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been recognised as more than just the vision- ary dreams of sci-fi luminaries for quite a while now. Utopic, dystopic, somewhere in between – no matter what, we’ve come to the conclusion that an AI-driven future is an inevitability. And we also know AI isn’t just our future – it’s our present, too. Name the industry or field, and AI is a key driver of its disruption. Ditto telecommunications. With a number of use cases already under their belts, telcos in the Middle East and Africa have been rolling out AI services and applications at an ever-faster rate and in ever-more-permeating fashion. Take, for example, what du is doing with Blu. Utilising UIB’s Unification Engine, Blu is a WhatsApp-based “virtual as- sistant” that can help customers with com- mon queries. Anthony Shiner, chief digital lifestyle and innovation officer at du parent compa- ny EITC, says Blu is just the beginning of the company’s push into rolling out more AI services for customer interactions. “Making our virtual assistant available on WhatsApp makes it easy for our customers to connect with us. We’d like our custom- ers to play an active role in creating a great chat experience, so we’ll be inviting them to help train the virtual assistant. Think of it as a new employee who has some core skills, but continues to learn and grow through experience.” As far as AI-based customer assistance goes, Blu is pretty basic, however. After all, in New Zealand, Vodafone has Kiri, a fully interactive AI who even has her own hyper-realistic animations (think of the way the late actor Peter Cushing was “resurrected” using AI to play one of the main villains in the 2016 Star Wars film “Rogue One”). Then here’s the whole line of animated, interactive AI customer as- sistants created by Soul Machines, such as Air New Zealand’s Sophia (which, it should be noted, has no relation to the famous AI robot of the same name created by Hanson Robotics). Even Dubai-based digital bank Liv. (yes, the full stop is part of its name) has Olivia, who can answer customer que- ries and direct people to human customer service agents once “she” learns what it is the customer needs. Simplistic as such AI systems may seem compared to Star Wars’ C-3PO or Star Trek’s Data, they’re building the founda- tion for greater capabilities. Preparing for those greater capabilities – and mak- ing sure the right legal framework is in place – is one reason why the United Arab Emirates has become the first country in the world to have a Minister for Artificial Intelligence. There’s also this: according to a recent PwC report, AI will contrib- ute US$320 billion to the Middle East economy by 2030 (equivalent to 11% of GDP). In the UAE, AI could be worth as Among Etisalat's innovations at GITEX 2018 in Dubai was a pharmacy run by robots. Robots stole the show at GITEX 2018 in Dubai. 41CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com SPECIAL REPORT AI much as 14% of total GDP by 2030; that’s barely 10 years away. Naturally, telcos are investing large amounts of capital now so they can get a slice of those future profits – and also pouring money into other companies that can help them in their AI innova- tion efforts. For instance, Etisalat Digital has invested in four startups in AI and blockchain to its Future Now innovation programme, following participation in the Dubai Future Accelerators programme. The four companies – Yitu Technology (originally from China), Com IoT Technol- ogies (UAE), 300cubits (Hong Kong), and Tradefin (USA) – took part in the Future Now scale-up programme. The ultimate goal: to develop products and services that benefit both the startups and Etisalat’s own customers. Etisalat, in particular, is doing some of the most innovative things with AI in the region at the moment. Naturally, it brought quite a few of its latest innovations to the most recent Gulf Information Technology Exhibition – better known as GITEX – in Dubai: think things like robot rink servers, “robo-pharmacies,” and more. A safer world But while those may be more consumer- facing technologies, on the business-to- business side Etisalat has been utilising AI to make some of the world’s most dangerous work environments safer. This past November, Etisalat announced a new strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi- based National Petroleum Construc- tion Company (NPCC) to implement AI solutions for remote sensing, real time data, autonomous vehicles, and predic- tive analytics – things that can be used on offshore oil platforms to help predict when conditions are becoming a bit too danger- ous for humans. Said Eng. Ahmed Salem Al Dhaheri, CEO of NPCC: “Technology and digitalisa- tion is driving the Fourth Industrial Revo- lution, bringing much needed efficiencies to oil and gas production. It is transform- ing the sector with remote sensing, real time data, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics; giv- ing companies a better chance to antici- pate and respond.” Added Sultan Mohamed Al Dhaheri, Etisalat Abu Dhabi general manager: “Today, the oil and gas industry has the opportunity to redefine its boundaries through digitalisation. We at Etisalat are working closely with all our customers and partners to transform their businesses by investing in digital services and solutions.” Progress and ‘early explorers’ Etisalat’s NPCC deal comes months after Huawei announced something similar. While international players are also devel- oping AI products and services they hope to one day introduce to the Middle East and African markets, Huawei has been particularly active in the region. Aside from introducing AI chips, AI-enabled smartphones, teaming up with Etisalat for modular data centres, the company has also been aggressively recruiting and training ICT talent to work with and develop AI systems. As Huawei Middle East president Charles Yang told CommsMEA back in December: “AI is a powerful engine that drives industry digital transformation. The fundamental characteristics of the technology is its ability to autonomously expand its capabilities by sensing, un- derstanding, acting and learning. This characteristic is creating new experiences across industries and organisations, from computer-aided diagnosis techniques to financial transactions, smart logistics, and more. AI is revitalising industry growth and profitability; it is also having a social impact by improving the delivery of public goods like healthcare, environmental sustainability, and education.” He said more – and also summed up nicely the blossoming reality – no longer mere potential – of AI, both locally and across the globe. “AI-driven technologies promise to transform society in a way not seen since the Industrial Revolution. Naturally, it will take work to get there. All progress requires early explorers to take the bold first steps into the unknown. Yet I am confident that by continuous invest- ment in research and development, and tireless training of ICT talent, we are cre- ating a generation ready to lead humanity into the age of robotics.” Of course, there will be only one way to find out if his words prove right. Hanson Robotics' Sophia was at Etisalat's stand at GITEX 2018 in Dubai. Dubai-based telco du has a robotic assistant named Pepper. Got something to say? If you would like to be featured in Backchat, please message: ben.mack@itp.com How payments are being disrupted. By: Gihane Mourad, Gemalto dir. of banking & payments for Middle East Why biometric EMV cards are the future When we consider our everyday use of facial recognition and fin- gerprint scanning, we’d be forgiven for thinking about a distant future containing flying cars and robots. While the realm of flying vehicles may still be some time away, the reality is that biometric technology is here now, and we are already very accustomed to using it. Over the last 20 years, we’ve been scanning our prints and faces at border control, using our finger- print to gain access to buildings at work and been taking advantage of Apple's Touch ID and Face ID fea- tures. Recently, Dubai International Airport unveiled a state-of-the-art facial recognition system. The Smart Tunnel can identify travellers by analysing pictures of their face as they walk through. This will mean passengers can get through airport control in 15 seconds, without the need for any travel documents such as passports, IDs or boarding cards. Biometric technology is evolving and becoming more widely used. It’s been embedded into our lives whether we’ve realised it or not. Now, it’s being introduced to the banking and payments sphere through the development of bio- These cards are the future, revolutionising the way we pay by making our transactions much safer and more convenient.” Published by and Copyright © 2019 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. MEDIA PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: + 971 (0)4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London and Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Executive Director Alex Reeve Group Publishing Director Ian Stokes Group Editorial Director Greg Wilson EDITORIAL Editor Ben Mack Tel: +971 4 444 3120 email: ben.mack@itp.com ADVERTISING Sales Director Andrew Cover Tel: +971 4 444 3502 email: andrew.cover@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +9714 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Ajith Narendra, Fritz John Asuro, Yuliya Petrovich, Jessica Samson PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Co-odinator Manoj Mahadevan Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Head of Circulation Vanessa D’souza Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Marketing & Events Manager Brian McNamara ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.net/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publica- tion are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. metric EMV cards. These cards remove the need for a traditional PIN number as we see it replaced with an embed- ded fingerprint scanner. In order to pay for goods, customers simply place their fingerprint on the sensor on the card’s surface. Then, if the fingerprint stored in the card matches the user trying to make a payment, the transaction is authorised. If, for any reason, the fingerprint does not register, the PIN code is available as a back-up option. While this has obvious benefits from a convenience point of view, remov- ing the need to remember PIN codes or limits on contactless transactions, for example, has naturally introduced fresh security concerns. But in the near future a majority of UAE banks plan to offer more biometric solutions to their customers. Within the next years more 88% plan to have fingerprint scanning. Consumers are also increasingly aware of the strengths of biometrics, with 75% of banks consumers in UAE think that they are more secure and 49% find it more convenient than traditional methods. Ultimately, biometric EMV cards are the future of consumer payments, providing easy, convenient, reliable and secure payment transactions. The technology behind the EMV card is not static: it’s only going to evolve. 42CommsMEA May 2019www.commsmea.com BACKCHAT PAYMENTSMWC Shanghai 2019 is Asia’s leading event for next-generation technology – 5G, IoT, AI, big data and beyond. It is where over 60,000 of the tech industry’s innovators and influencers gather to explore how Intelligent Connectivity will shape the future of our digital experiences, our industry and our world. WELCOME TO THE ERA OF MWCSHANGHAI.COM DIAMOND EVENT PARTNER GLOBAL MEDIA PARTNERGLOBAL PARTNERNext >