Abu Dhabi to open AI research centre to drive high-tech innovation

Abu Dhabi is to launch a dedicated artificial intelligence research centre to help cement the UAE's growing status as a global centre for technological innovation. The state-of-the-art complex will be central to the work of the capital's Technology Innovation Institute, which already is home to the Middle East's first quantum computer and to teams of researchers developing advanced materials, drones and robots for commercial use. The centre aims to bridge the gap between the research centre's seven labs and the spreading field of AI, providing oversight and technical know-how. Take, for example, an autonomous boat under development at TII's robotics lab, which is being designed to self-navigate to the site of an oil spill, send out dozens of robotic "fish" to assess the damage to marine life, all while sending information to drones hovering above to determine a course for clean-up. This scenario relies heavily on AI capabilities and is one of dozens of commercial projects being developed at TII's Masdar City campus.