Future Beat

Hi there,

Welcome to Future Beat Issue #3! If you're reading this you're an early adopter, so thank you. I welcome your feedback. Now let’s get into the week’s top stories.

Robots, flying cars and the metaverse, oh my! Gitex, the region's biggest technology conference, hit Dubai this week, with over 3,500 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge tech and offering a glimpse of what's possible.

Artificial intelligence is the underlying technology for much of what is on display. If you've wondered what AI is really capable of – and when we may reach technological singularity – listen to my interview with IBM's global chief AI officer Seth Dobrin.

A decade after IBM's Watson beat Ken Jennings at Jeopardy! the company is focused on less headline-grabbing AI antics and the reasons may surprise you. Elon Musk recently warned that AI safety is one of the biggest threats facing humanity this century. When I asked Seth about this, he didn't disagree. With that in mind, IBM's focus on AI trust and data transparency is no laughing matter.

And did you see the full moon last night? It's important to always look up. The UAE is. Space is the country's most promising new sector, senior officials said at a forum held at Dubai Expo 2020 this week.

Be well.

Kelsey Warner
Future Editor

The Big Story

Gitex 2021 and the future today

VIENNA, AUSTRIA - OCTOBER 25: King Abdullah of Jordan arrives for his meeting with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen at Hofburg palace on October 25, 2021 in Vienna, Austria. The Jordanian king is visiting several European countries this week, culminating with his participation in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, that starts on Sunday. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner / Getty Images)

In brief | With over 3,500 exhibitors at this 41st installment of Gitex, visitors get a unique glimpse into the future, and what is possible and practical today. This year the big trends were robots and cobots – collaborative robots – as well as Internet of Things connectivity and ways of harnessing virtual and augmented reality.

Quoted | "This is a landmark moment in the history of humanity because never before have we tried to replicate or duplicate our intelligence," said Tannya Jajal, a futurist and artificial intelligence expert based in Dubai.

Why it matters | Coming out of the pandemic, companies and nations are recognising the importance of resilient digital infrastructure. IT spending in Mena is making a recovery, projected to total $171 billion in 2021, an increase of 4.5 per cent from 2020, according to Gartner. Competition and new cutting-edge solutions are necessary to meet growing demand and create new economic opportunities.

Future in Focus

Token of depreciation | New research has signed the once-popular digital token's death certificate. But if you bought an NFT, Patrick Noack won’t say “I told you so” …

Apple of my AI | Former Apple designer Jony Ive in talks with ChatGPT creator to build “iPhone of AI”. The project will be backed by more than $1 billion in funding from SoftBank's Masayoshi Son.

Life saver | Cancer breakthrough offered to target threat to Gulf women. Royal Marsden Hospital has developed genetic profiling for endometrial cancer, marking new phase in treating “neglected” disease.

Predicting the future: Signal or noise?

Vehicles on the road in the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore, 05 October 2023. The cost of a certificate to own a car in Singapore, known as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), has rose to a record high of S$146,002 (101,282 euros) in the open bidding exercise on 04 October, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The COE system was introduced in 1990 to counter congestion on the roads where potential car owners must bid for a certificate for the right to own a vehicle for a period of ten years. EPA / HOW HWEE YOUNG

Meta and the company behind Ray-Ban eyewear have launched a new collection of sunglasses with live-streaming and AI features.

This is noise. Seriously, what’s with tech companies continually trying and failing to make creepy glasses with cameras in them a thing? Not cool. Just stop it.

In case you missed it

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addresses the 78th Session of the U. N. General Assembly in New York City, U. S. , September 20, 2023. REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz

Rana El Kaliouby's bold trek to the final frontier of humanising technology

Tesla's Optimus robot sorts coloured blocks and strikes yoga poses

Amazon to invest $4 billion in ChatGPT rival Anthropic

Can new AI bot answer your climate questions? We tested it out

Global wind power capacity to hit 2.38 terawatts by 2032

iPhone 15 Pro Max: First impression of Apple's latest top-end smartphone