NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS…

Is Middle East an emerging AI hub?

What Happened?

Tech giant Microsoft is making a big strategic move in the UAE.

A $1.5B investment in Abu Dhabi's AI firm G42 will see G42's AI apps run on Microsoft’s Azure as the two collaborate on AI products.

The goal?

To bring AI and digital infrastructure to underserved regions in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa (and, of course, gain an edge over China).

G42's Arabic AI model ‘Jais’ is set to become available on Azure's AI catalog.

Interestingly… 

Microsoft-backed OpenAI is reportedly in talks with MGX – a UAE state-backed investment group – to develop its own AI chips and reduce its reliance on Nvidia.

And it’s not just the UAE. 

Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to invest $40 billion in AI. This would make Saudi the world’s largest investor in AI, according to the New York Times.

Recently, Amazon also announced an investment of $5.3 billion in Saudia Arabia for AI technology and data centers.

The competition between countries to secure AI investment, infrastructure, and talent is heating up. Game on!

Why are musicians saying AI music is predatory?

What Happened?

200+ artists, including Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj, recently demanded protections against "predatory AI" in music. Are their fears justified?

Well, yes, to some extent.

Music royalty like Zayn Malik, Camila Cabello, the Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry, and Miranda Lambert have rallied behind the cause. Why? Because current laws may not adequately protect against AI mimicking artists' unique styles without consent.

For example, OpenAI's Jukebox can generate music that echoes Katy Perry or The Beatles.

Some artists feel making music is a human endeavor. Sting told the BBC that "the building blocks of music belong to us, to human beings." Hmm, I'm not sure if I agree with that.

My Take

I strongly oppose mimicking artists' voices and styles using AI, but I do feel that if the music is soulful and captivating, it's okay if it was originally created by a human, an AI, or a human+AI collaboration.

In some better news: Tennessee's pioneering ELVIS Act adds a person's voice to the Protection of Personal Rights law, prohibiting the replication of anyone’s voice without consent. It penalizes unauthorized use but allows fair use under copyright law. We need such regulations globally.

WOMAN IN AI

AI leader by day, robot 'caretaker' by night?

A little background:

Armed with a Doctorate of Science from ETH Zürich, Switzerland, she currently heads the AI Institute research team at Boston Dynamics, one of the leading robotics firms. Previously, she was a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard and the Yale Information Society Project.

Her work has earned her accolades, including "Biggest Names in Science" by NBC News and "25 Women in Robotics You Need to Know About" by Robohub. 

The Question

With AI powering the robot revolution and more robots coming our way at work and home, Darling's work is more important than ever. How should we treat intelligent machines? Should we treat them with compassion, even love? 

ENTERPRISE AI CASE STUDY

750 Gen AI assistants empower an entire organization

I love how Moderna, the biotech company that brought us one of the Covid vaccines, partnered with OpenAI to create generative AI assistants for every department throughout the organization, and vastly improved team productivity.

Moderna made 750 AI assistants to help workers do everything from deciding on vaccine dosages during clinical trials to reviewing legal contracts to writing earnings reports to formulating brand messaging.

And they let every department create its own AI assistant easily with Enterprise ChatGPT, all in 2 months.

The ROI on Enterprise Gen AI is a no-brainer.

"A team of a few thousand can perform like a team of 100,000."

Now imagine this for your firm.

UPSKILLING & PRODUCTIVITY

Amplify with Dr. Ayesha Khanna

Every week, I host AI webinars where I explain AI buzzwords, the latest news, use cases, and enterprise strategy. I explain concepts using simple language, examples, and business applications.

Biweekly, I publish an article on AI trends and insights, covering various industries and AI use cases.