From courteous robots to generative AI art; Dubai determinedly futuristic landscape makes for a transformative holiday destination
Known for its ambitious goals reflected in its dazzling skyscrapers and world-class luxury, Dubai has been setting the wheels of AI in motion long before the term “artificial intelligence” entered everyday conversation.
In 2016, the government partnered with IBM to launch an AI-based service where users in the business community can ask questions and get up-to-date answers about business licensing and registration processes. In October 2017, the UAE launched the world’s first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence to take the AI agenda from government policy into the daily lives of Dubai residents and visitors.
“The country is investing billions of dollars in technological innovation and plans to become a world leader in AI development by the end of the 2020s,” said Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, Remote Work and Applications.
By leveraging big data technology and collaborating with futuristic companies from around the world, City of Gold will be home to a host of exciting new features, from smart crosswalk systems and drone delivery to VR parks and an AI-powered Digital City Concierge (Dubai AI).
Omar, 33, is very interested in AI on a global platform, even though it is still in its early stages. “It is so pervasive at the moment that each country will try to specialize in its own area. “Key to our strategy is to create AI services that will enhance the experience of residents and tourists in the UAE’s future cities, especially Dubai,” he explains.
Next time you go shopping in Dubai, don’t worry if a tall, slim salesman walks past you without a silent nod. Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), a leading retail developer in the UAE, has deployed more than a dozen Tally robots in its supermarkets to help manage stock. Drop into Carrefour City+ at Mall of the Emirates to shop at the region’s first cashierless, AI-powered store. It’s equipped with 97 cameras that identify and track users based on their anatomy, without the interference of facial recognition or biometric data, and the app automatically updates your virtual shopping basket.
MAF took online shopping a step further, launching Dubai’s first virtual retail and entertainment destination last spring. Still under development, the Mall of the Metaverse (currently home to Carrefour, VOX Cinemas, That Concept Store, Ghawali Fragrances, and Samsung Store) allows virtual avatars to immerse themselves in a shopping frenzy driven by behavioral science data.
If the idea of counting your cryptocurrency while buying up NFTs at a virtual mall makes you feel daunted, you might be better off going the old-fashioned way and visiting a museum or library. However, even these dusty bastions of knowledge are getting an AI makeover. This spectacular, doughnut-shaped museum of the future sits on a hilltop above Dubai’s financial district and is now part of every Dubai holiday itinerary.
The museum’s radiant digital technician (avatar), Aya, guides you through seven floors of futuristic exhibits and installations depicting life in 2071.
While children and adults alike can expect to be tickled by spacecraft, a simulation of the Amazon (forest, not company), the Future heroes ‘play area’, and a bald and steel lady is likely to evoke mixed reactions.
Stationed outside the ‘Tomorrow Today’ exhibit, Ameca, the humanoid robot mimics human expressions. Albeit creepily, she will, smile, and even compliment you on your gorgeous looks, besides answering questions on the museum.
Brendon McGetrick, the museum’s creative director, wanted to go beyond the well-worn cliché of an immersive experience and create an “expansive experience” that would allow the audience to see the world through different eyes. A case in point is the shimmering exhibit on the fourth floor, “Vault of Life”: a huge catalogue of the Earth’s natural diversity.
Designed by London- and Ahmedabad-based Superflux Studio, the 370-square-metre space, where 2,400 suspended crystal glass sample tubes (created using bespoke software) are undoubtedly impressive.
“We’re trying to push the boundaries of human perception and capabilities and explore this kind of relational intelligence in our art projects,” says Anab Jain, co-founder and director of Superflux. Anab and her partner John Arden’s manifesto, “More than Human,” aims to bring to the fore the deep ecological connections of our planetary species.
Robots continue to proliferate in Dubai as Anab seeks to expand AI’s capabilities beyond “human doppelgangers.” Unlike its American nuisance counterpart, which mimics human facial expressions, Pepper is a safe option, especially for children.
The robot at Mohammed Bin Rashid Library (MBRL) in Dubai Creek’s Al Jaddaf district is the star of an impressive AI-powered facility that includes virtual book tours and smart bookshelves. MBRL’s automated storage system sends commands to the robot to search, request and retrieve books, which it then delivers to customers via a monorail system.
Art and Dates
Dubai’s historic Al Fahidi district (formerly Bastakiya) is home to a vibrant arts scene including the XVA Art Hotel. But if you want to wow yourself, check into the vibrant Indigo Hotel, just minutes from Dubai Design District. This modern boutique hotel displays a variety of art, from mashrabiya ornaments and graffiti walls to oriental tapestries and sculptures.
But strangest of all is the minimalist installation behind reception. Titled “Dubai Wind,” it marks Turkish-American new media artist Refik Anadolu’s debut in the UAE. The installation features a screen filled with data on Dubai’s wind speed, direction, gust patterns and temperature, collected by an algorithm over the course of a year.
Benedetta Ghione, managing director of Art Dubai, calls Anadolu “a pioneering superstar in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence.” Art Dubai has introduced its own digital platform since last year to promote artists using new technological tools. Generative art is all the rage in cutting-edge local art galleries like Galoire in City Walk Mall.
“Unlike other cities, Dubai is a true global hub for crypto and digital entrepreneurs, artists and enthusiasts, which is why we are seeing a rapid growth in the AI-powered generative art market. With government support, our understanding of how the field is evolving is becoming more and more nuanced,” Benedetta says.
Her optimism is dripping from the top. The UAE government wants to provide an AI experience for all visitors to the City of Gold. As Omar sums up: “We want all residents and tourists to feel like they are in the city of the future.”