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Future of AI in focus at Web Summit Qatar 2025

Al Jazeera

The future of artificial intelligence (AI) has been the focus of tech entrepreneurs and financial backers gathered in Doha for the second annual Web Summit hosted by Qatar. The four-day digital technology and emerging innovation summit kicked off its second day on Monday, with attendees eyeing an AI environment being transformed rapidly. Leading entrepreneurs from around the world, including Alexander Wang, founder and CEO of Scale AI, and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and general partner at Seven Seven Six, took centre stage at the event on the opening day. Reporting from Doha, Al Jazeera's Colin Baker said the summit is grappling with questions over the future of AI amid "companies and investors that are changing that landscape more rapidly than we expected". The United States and China are leading in preparedness for AI, said Wang of US company Scale AI.


Systematic Weight Evaluation for Pruning Large Language Models: Enhancing Performance and Sustainability

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Impact of Compression on Model Performance: Through comprehensive experiments, the study demonstrates that moderate pruning can enhance model efficiency, but excessive compression leads to substantial performance degradation in both language and multimodal models. Sustainable AI Development: The findings emphasize the need for optimized AI models to reduce the environmental impact, addressing critical issues like carbon footprint, electricity, and water consumption associated with training and deploying large-scale AI systems. Systematic Weight Evaluation for Pruning Large Language Models: Enhancing Performance and Sustainability Ashhadul Islam a, Samir Brahim Belhaouari a, Amine Bermak a a College Of Science & Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Doha, 34110, QatarAbstract The exponential growth of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT has revolutionized artificial intelligence, offering unprecedented capabilities in natural language processing. However, the extensive computational resources required for training these models have significant environmental implications, including high carbon emissions, energy consumption, and water usage. This research presents a novel approach to LLM pruning, focusing on the systematic evaluation of individual weight importance throughout the training process. By monitoring parameter evolution over time, we propose a method that effectively reduces model size without compromising performance. Extensive experiments with both a scaled-down LLM and a large multimodal model reveal that moderate pruning enhances efficiency and reduces loss, while excessive pruning drastically deteriorates model performance. These findings highlight the critical need for optimized AI models to ensure sustainable development, balancing technological advancement with environmental responsibility.


Could AI deepen inequalities in the world?

Al Jazeera

Doha, Qatar โ€“ At one of the world's largest technology conferences, whether it was on the main stage, its side panels, or at the dozens of glitzy, towering company booths, there was one term on everybody's lips: artificial intelligence (AI). At Web Summit โ€“ held for the first time in the Middle East in Doha โ€“ and which wrapped up on Thursday, entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders from around the world were all talking about AI's capabilities. Yet alongside that excitement, there are also growing concerns among experts that these technologies could exacerbate inequities dividing the world. Technologies, including AI, run the risk of amplifying biases that already exist, according to Ayo Tometi, co-creator of the US-based antiracist movement Black Lives Matter. "We're seeing quite literally, that prejudice is being programmed into the technologies that are being deployed in our communities. And these biases must be addressed," Tometi said at the summit.


AI takes centre stage as Web Summit kicks off in Qatar

Al Jazeera

Doha, Qatar โ€“ Under blocks of flashing lights, entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders converged in central Doha on Monday as Web Summit, one of the world's biggest tech conferences, opened in Qatar's capital. The event, held in the Middle East for the first time, brings together participants from dozens of countries who, over four days, will be hoping to establish new connections, share insights and secure funds. Kicking off proceedings, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced that the Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund would invest more than 1bn in international and regional venture capital funds. Dubbed "Fund of Funds", the programme aims to foster innovation by attracting top international venture capital funds and entrepreneurs both to Qatar and the wider Gulf region. The commitment to boost the start-up sector builds on Qatar's aspiration to be a regional IT hub.


Aspect based sentimental analysis for travellers' reviews

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Airport service quality evaluation is commonly found on social media, including Google Maps. This valuable for airport management in order to enhance the quality of services provided. However; prior studies either provide general review for topics discussed by travellers or provide sentimental value to tag the entire review without specifically mentioning the airport service that is behind such value. Accordingly, this work proposes using aspect based sentimental analysis in order to provide more detailed analysis for travellers reviews. This works applied aspect based sentimental analysis on data collected from Google Map about Dubai and Doha airports. The results provide tangible reasons to use aspect based sentimental analysis in order to understand more the travellers and spot airport services that are in need for improvement.


Artificial intelligence is the new competitive edge in sports

#artificialintelligence

In fact, this year's World Cup in Doha, Qatar, was one of the highest-tech international sports events yet. But we haven't even seen all the ways A.I. will affect sports. Consider the use of video replay to improve performance. The NBA's Steph Curry and the NFL's Tom Brady are both fans of "film study," going over games and moves to figure out what to repeat and what to avoid. They're far from alone: Video replay is a common component of high-level training in many sports, among them baseball, track, hockey, and boxing.


US officials meet with Taliban in person for first time since drone strike killed Al Qaeda chief in Kabul

FOX News

Former Army Ranger and Save Our Allies co-founder Tim Kennedy discusses the trauma experienced by military veterans following the evacuation of Afghanistan on'Fox News Live.' Top U.S. officials held their first in person meeting with the Taliban since a U.S. military strike killed the leader of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan in July. The Biden administration sent CIA deputy director David Cohen to the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday to meet with a Taliban delegation led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban's head of intelligence, Fox News has confirmed. The meeting marks the first time the two sides have met in person since a U.S. drone strike this summer killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in the Taliban controlled Afghanistan capital of Kabul raising questions about the terror group's presence in the country. The Taliban claimed it was unaware that the Al-Qaeda chief was in the country and called the drone strike a "clear violation" of the Doha agreement struck with former President Donald Trump in 2020. AFGHANISTAN ONE YEAR LATER: HOW DAILY LIFE IN THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY HAS CHANGED SINCE THE TALIBAN'S TAKEOVER Taliban fighters escort women march in support of the Taliban government outside Kabul University, Afghanistan.


Taliban investigating US 'claim' of killing al-Qaeda chief

Al Jazeera

The Taliban says it is investigating a "claim" by the United States that it killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone attack in Kabul, says a Taliban official, indicating the group's leadership was not aware of his presence there. The US said it killed al-Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone while he stood on a balcony at his Kabul hiding place on Sunday. US officials said the killing was the biggest blow to the armed group since its founder, Osama bin Laden was shot dead more than 10 years ago. "The government and the leadership wasn't aware of what is being claimed, nor any trace there," Suhail Shaheen, the designated Taliban representative to the United Nations, who is based in Doha, told journalists in a message. "Investigation is under way now to find out about the veracity of the claim," he said, adding that the results of the investigation would be shared publicly.


US killing al-Zawahiri in Kabul a violation of Doha pact: Taliban

Al Jazeera

The Taliban has condemned the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri by the United States in a "precision" drone strike in the centre of Kabul. The killing of al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25m bounty on his head for the September 11, 2001 attacks, is the biggest blow to the armed group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. In a statement on Tuesday, the group called the strike a "clear violation" of international principles and the Doha Agreement, the 2020 pact signed by the Taliban and the US that facilitated the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan. The strike was carried out on a residential house in the Sherpur area of Kabul, a diplomatic enclave where many Taliban leaders live now, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in the statement. "Such actions are a repetition of the failed experiences of the past 20 years and are against the interests of the US, Afghanistan and the region," Mujahid said.


Who is Ayman Al Zawahiri? Al Qaeda leader killed in Afghanistan

FOX News

Ayman Al Zawahiri, the terrorist killed in a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan Monday, was a top deputy to al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden before taking the helm of the organization after his predecessor's death in 2011. A drone strike on a Kabul home took him out over the weekend, Fox News reported earlier. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed and condemned the attack on Twitter, calling it "a clear violation of international principles," according to a translation of the thread. However, the 2020 Doha Agreement, which preceded the Biden administration's highly criticized withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, called for the Taliban to combat terrorism within the country. Al Zawahiri was also a doctor and founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad terror group, which later merged with al-Qaeda, according to authorities.