Even as a robust vaccination drive is underway in the Emirates, testing and tracing of covid positive patients remains a crucial tool for containing infections. The year of the pandemic saw deployment of data collection, online apps and devices to detect symptoms of covid in public spaces of the UAE, for successfully keeping an outbreak at bay. With negative test results becoming a key document for international travel, quicker and convenient procedures are being developed to scale up covid detection. Continuing its legacy of adopting latest innovations in tech, Dubai has started experimenting with a breath test, which can spot covid in less than a minute. The device developed by University of Singapore-backed firm Breathonix, uses machine learning to identify volatile organic compound created by biochemical reactions, to give results in seconds.

The UAE Artificial Intelligence camp has hosted more than 600 Emirati pupils and university students in its first month. The camp is part of the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, which launched in October 2017, and includes programmes to develop the skills of government employees and young people. More than 5,000 people will participate directly or in partnership programmes organised through the camp, the state-news agency Wam has reported. "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 Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar Al Olama. "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."

UAE nationals including government officials, employees and students will soon get the opportunity to receive specialised training on artificial intelligence at the Oxford University. The MoU was signed by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Roger L. Michel, founder …

Artificial intelligence is helping doctors accurately diagnose eye disease in 96 per cent of cases at Dubai Diabetes Centre. Thousands of routine eye scans have been fed into an AI programme to identify retinal damage caused by diabetes in a trial during February -- UAE Innovation Month. The programme's success could now lead to it being permanently adopted at the centre in 2nd of December Street, as it is helping doctors treat more patients at an earlier stage. "To diagnose diabetic retinopathy, regular retinal imaging is required and in some cases optical coherence tomography is also used," said Dr M Hamed Farooqi, director of Dubai Diabetes Centre. "This imaging test provides cross-sectional images of the retina that show the thickness of the retina, which will help determine whether fluid has leaked into retinal tissue."