Dr. Jassim Haji: Leading the Future of AI in the Gulf

Dr. Jassim Haji , a renowned leader in the realm of artificial intelligence, is the President of the International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI) and the President of the Artificial Intelligence Society. With a prolific career that spans various sectors including aviation, technology, and AI, Dr. Haji has been at the forefront of promoting AI awareness, research, and collaboration globally. His contributions have not only advanced the field of AI but have also bridged gaps between different industries and regions, fostering a collaborative environment for innovation and ethical AI development. In this exclusive interview with Latin&Gulf, Dr. Haji shares insights into the founding and mission of IGOAI, the future of AI transformation, and the pivotal role of international collaboration in shaping the AI landscape. [caption id="attachment_1339" align="aligncenter" width="1284"] Dr. Jassim Haji and H.E. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain [/caption] How was the International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI) born? The International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI) was founded in 2020 with a mission to encourage discussions and collaboration within the field of Artificial Intelligence. The idea originated from the recognition that AI is a global endeavor necessitating international cooperation to address shared challenges and opportunities. IGOAI seeks to unite a global community of AI enthusiasts and professionals, providing a platform to exchange knowledge about AI's potential and applications across various fields. Currently, IGOAI has representatives from 38 countries, including those in North America, Europe, Oceania, South Asia, and the Middle East. Our membership includes 550 professionals, academics, data scientists, researchers, etc. We are dedicated to promoting AI best practices, keeping members informed of the latest AI developments, and enabling knowledge sharing and interdisciplinary collaboration through organizing conferences, summits, and events. Our goal is to disseminate AI knowledge globally and advance the field in a way that benefits society as a whole. How do you envision the future of AI transformation and what role will IGOAI play in shaping it? The future of AI transformation will be one in which AI technologies are seamlessly and increasingly integrated into various aspects of our lives, driving innovation, efficiency, and societal progress. From healthcare to transportation, education to finance, AI will continue to revolutionize industries, offering solutions to complex problems and improving decision-making processes. IGOAI will play a crucial role in shaping this future by serving as a promoter of collaboration, innovation, and responsible AI development. We aim to promote dialogue among stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and regions, enabling a global perspective on AI opportunities and issues. Through our global network of experts, conferences, lectures, dialogues, and events, we encourage the exchange of ideas and research findings and advocate for inclusive policies, ensuring that AI technologies serve the common good and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable future for all. What initiatives has IGOAI undertaken to promote AI awareness, research, and collaboration internationally? Since its inception, IGOAI has played a significant role in promoting AI awareness and collaboration through a series of events across diverse sectors and applications. These include three dedicated to AI in healthcare, two focusing on AI in sports, one addressing AI in sustainability, three exploring the role of data in AI, one dedicated to AI in women's empowerment, and three examining AI in the judiciary. Notably, the AI in judiciary event held under the patronage of the GCC General Secretary during Expo 2020 highlights our commitment to addressing pressing issues at high-profile international forums. As we move forward, we plan to amplify our impact through various initiatives, such as developing online resources and publications, encouraging international partnerships, and engaging in public outreach efforts. By curating educational materials and collaborating with stakeholders worldwide, IGOAI will continue to promote responsible AI development and facilitate informed discussions about the trajectory of AI advancements. [caption id="attachment_1341" align="aligncenter" width="1284"] Visit by Mrs Aysha Alsada and Hamad Almoosa from Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities to HH Shk Nasser AI R&D Centre. [/caption] How can AI contribute to solving global challenges, especially in healthcare, sustainability, and economic growth? AI holds substantial promise in tackling global challenges, particularly within healthcare, sustainability, and economic growth. In its current momentum, AI has already catalyzed various industries by expanding human capabilities and pushing boundaries previously thought unattainable. Its transformative potential extends to optimizing entire sectors through data-driven approaches, influencing aspects such as customer service, operational efficiency, and strategic decision-making. Take the case of healthcare: cutting-edge research and development are underway in utilizing AI for precision and personalized medicines, early diagnostics, and even efficient healthcare administration. Similarly, in promoting sustainability, it has played a pivotal role in optimizing energy management, modeling complex environmental systems, precision agriculture, and supply chain enhancement, all of which contribute to economic growth as well. Furthermore, AI can boost productivity across industries through automation, reducing operational costs, and unlocking new business models and services that spur economic growth by enabling data-driven insights and offering targeted solutions to address complex challenges. What ethical considerations should guide AI development and deployment on a global scale? Several key ethical considerations guide the responsible development and deployment of AI systems globally. We should ensure AI systems are designed and used in ways that benefit humanity, minimize potential harm, and yet do not hinder innovation. Most importantly, it should include rigorous testing and risk assessment to identify and mitigate unintended negative consequences. Fairness, non-discrimination, and the prevention of bias must be core principles, with algorithms audited to avoid perpetuating societal biases. Furthermore, strong data governance and privacy-preserving measures are needed to safeguard individual privacy rights. Transparency, accountability, and human oversight are also essential ethical requirements. There must be clear processes to explain AI system decisions and actions, as well as avenues for rectification. Human oversight or control should be maintained for high-stakes decisions that impact human lives, their rights, and values. Proactive study of AI value alignment is needed to ensure consistency between machine ethics, human ethics, and societal values. This principled approach will be the key to unlocking AI’s true potential through innovations while mitigating risk. How can countries collaborate to accelerate AI research, innovation, and adoption? International cooperation is vital in driving AI progress globally. Cross-border partnerships, joint initiatives, and knowledge-sharing platforms can enable pooling of data, resources, and computing power, talent, and expertise to boost innovation. Collaborative research projects harnessing combined strengths can deliver impactful AI solutions for global challenges like climate change faster than individual efforts. Furthermore, countries should work together to establish harmonized AI policies, regulations, guidelines, and governance frameworks for developing and deploying AI systems responsibly. Additionally, providing opportunities for international knowledge exchange between researchers, engineers, and stakeholders is key to unlocking AI’s full transformative potential globally. Through strategic partnerships that combine complementary strengths and promote openness and shared commitment, we can definitely accelerate the responsible adoption of AI across industries worldwide. What advice would you give to aspiring AI professionals aiming to make a difference in the world? For any aspiring AI professional, I would advise nurturing a curiosity and eagerness to continuously learn and upskill themselves in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Actively following and participating in the research community can help them stay well-informed about the latest techniques and breakthroughs across different areas such as machine learning, robotics, natural language processing, etc. They should adopt a multidisciplinary mindset that goes beyond just technical AI skills, collaborating with experts across domains like ethics, social sciences, policy, and others to gain a holistic understanding of real-world AI applications and challenges. Aspiring AI professionals should also cultivate a strong ethical foundation rooted in principles such as human well-being, fairness, privacy, and accountability. They should develop the courage to critically analyze the societal implications of their work and raise concerns when necessary. Identifying opportunities to leverage AI responsibly and ethically to create new innovative products, services, and business models that drive socioeconomic progress worldwide is also crucial. With this approach of ethical grounding, cross-disciplinary collaboration, continuous learning, and an innovative mindset, they can truly harness the power of AI as a force for positive change. [caption id="attachment_1346" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] ‘AI in Sustainability’ presentation held in Bahrain Financial Harbour. [/caption] How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced AI research and adoption worldwide? The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a catalyst that accelerated AI research and adoption across the globe. With the urgent need for technological solutions, the healthcare domain witnessed a surge of AI innovation for applications such as COVID testing, diagnosis, contact tracing, drug development, and studying the spread of the virus. Simultaneously, the pandemic forced rapid digitization and automation across sectors, compelling businesses to embrace AI for process automation, customer service chatbots, supply chain optimization, and more. Moreover, researchers globally leveraged AI-powered platforms, shared computing resources, and open data repositories to unite efforts for studying COVID-19, igniting a cultural shift towards more open science aided by AI. However, gaps in quality data, regulations, AI ethics, and bias issues that hindered effective deployment in certain contexts were also exposed. This has spurred the prioritization of developing trustworthy, responsible, and regulated AI systems to move forward. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed AI from regional cutting-edge research to large-scale global adoption and innovation by highlighting both AI’s immense potential and its inherent risks. What exciting AI projects or milestones can we expect from IGOAI in the near future? In the near future, IGOAI is gearing up to explore the expanding domain of generative AI, hosting dedicated events to explore the latest developments, applications, and ethical considerations in this rapidly evolving field. This will include an event focusing on the recent announcements from the Google I/O 2024 conference, where we will discuss in-depth the implications and opportunities arising from the groundbreaking announcements in the field. This forum will analyze emerging trends, discuss key takeaways, and explore collaborative opportunities for driving positive societal impact through these advancements. AI Ethics will remain a central focus in IGOAI's future events, with dedicated sessions on AI ethics and standalone events to further discussions on responsible AI development, governance, and policy recommendations. Through these initiatives, we aim to contribute to the advancement of a more ethical, inclusive, and sustainable AI ecosystem. How can AI transformation benefit humanity while ensuring inclusivity and fairness? To uplift humanity equitably using AI’s transformative potential, we must embed inclusion and fairness into every phase of the AI lifecycle. This requires inclusive AI education, workforce development, and providing opportunities across diverse socioeconomic, gender, racial, and geographic groups. Diverse perspectives and representation in product design and governance teams are critical to identifying blind spots that could lead to harmful biases and discriminatory outcomes against marginalized communities. From the curation of inclusive training data to rigorous bias testing during development and deployment, fairness principles must be vigilantly incorporated throughout the process. Furthermore, policymakers and stakeholders across different sectors must collaborate to create robust AI ethics frameworks guided by human rights principles with clear accountability measures and avenues for redress against discriminatory AI systems. Achieving positive and fair outcomes from AI will require ongoing commitment from all involved parties to promote diversity, fairness, and justice, ensuring that AI systems are designed to be inclusive and fair from the start. How can entrepreneurs or professionals enroll in IGOAI? Entrepreneurs or professionals interested in enrolling in IGOAI can do so through our official website. Our community portal provides easy access to join IGOAI and become part of a global community dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence. Upon enrollment, members gain access to a wealth of resources, including networking opportunities, latest technological insights, and exclusive events. Additionally, individuals can stay updated on upcoming events, initiatives, and collaborations through our events channels within the community portal. Whether you're an entrepreneur looking to explore AI applications in your industry or a professional seeking to expand your knowledge and network in the field, we offer a supportive platform to connect, learn, and collaborate with like-minded peers from around the world. (C) Latin&Gulf – 2024

Dr. Jassim Haji: Leading the Future of AI in the Gulf

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Dubai Chamber of Commerce launches Mexican Business Council to boost bilateral trade & investment.

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