UAE Artificial Intelligence Camp attracts over 600 Emirati students

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, AI, and Deputy Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation, has confirmed that developing national talent and empowering young people with Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills is one of the UAE government's top priorities and strategies that focus on building the future and boosting the UAE position globally.

Al Olama’s statement came on the back of attending one of the sessions of the UAE AI Summer Camp, organised by the UAE government to support the efforts of future knowledge transfer and build a generation capable of adopting advanced technologies in developing solutions for various future challenges.

"AI is a gateway to building and shaping the future. We, in the UAE, are pioneering the use of AI technologies and applications to build a better future for all and ensuring that we, as a country, assume a global leadership position across all sectors," said the minister.

"The UAE AI Camp is an educational platform that contributes to the development of youth. It reflects the successful partnership between government, private and education sectors to achieve the objectives of the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and supports the strategic direction of the UAE in this field," he added.

Organised by the UAE government, the first month of the camp saw a great turn out from school and university students and has hosted over 600 Emirati students so far.

The students underwent specialised training from prominent global technology companies; IBM organised a session focusing on AI algorithms with the participation of 275 students; SAP’s session entitled "AI in Big Data Management" was attended by 260 students. Over 466 students attended Microsoft session about new technologies in our daily lives; while Careem addressed the topic of transportation and the impacts of AI on this sector in presence of 235 students. IBM’s second session was attended by 247 students.

Over 5000 students will benefit from the various partnership programmes that will be organised as part of the UAE AI Camp in partnership with 18 entities in private and public sectors.

The education sector was keen to participate in the camp where the ministry of education, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Gems Education sent delegations of students to learn about the latest technologies in AI and its high-level capabilities in shaping the future.

Social Media channels buzzed with the activities of the AI Summer camp since its launch and throughout the 30 days. The number of followers reached over 6000 followers and the camp’s session garnered over 120 thousand online views. Students from all around the world were able to follow the activities of the camp through these mediums. The smart application of the camp was downloaded over 3200 times and users joined the AI online community.

The summer camp programme is divided into two phases; the first is in partnership with the private sector and hosted by the Dubai Future Accelerators and The Youth Hub in the Emirates Towers, and the second is in partnership with the government sector and is organised over all the UAE regions.

Strategic partners and participating companies in the camp include global enterprises such as: Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, Careem, AutoDisk, Cyberone, Ajyal, Gems Education, and Clever Monitor.