As part of the UAE Centennial 2071 initiative, Sheikh Mohammed has appointed the first State Minister for Artificial Intelligence, an effort which is sure to move the country in a bold new direction.

The UAE recently made a bold move that is perhaps the strongest demonstration of any government’s official endorsement of Artificial Intelligence technology. An Artificial Intelligence minister has been appointed, implying enough reliance and expectations of reliance on the technology to warrant the position. 

The official title will be State Minister for Artificial Intelligence, and the activities of the position will coincide with UAE’s 2031 AI Strategy, a comprehensive government effort that will integrate all AI technologies in the society.

The young appointee is 27-year-old Omar Sultan Al-Ulama, who brings his experience as Deputy Director of the Future Department and now Managing Director of the World Government Summit to the position.

The announcement came on Thursday from UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed, part of a general restructuring of the Cabinet: “We announce the appointment of a minister for artificial intelligence. The next global wave is artificial intelligence and we want the UAE to be more prepared for it.” 

“The new government will catapult the UAE into its prosperous centenary which aims for fostering knowledge, science and research as well as engaging the youth in the leadership of the nation,” Sheikh Mohammad said, stressing the true purpose behind the restructure as “a renewal of blood, a catalyst for change and a preparation for the next stage of our nation's path”.

With a nod to the AI minister and the Minister of State of Higher Education, Sheikh Mohammed assigned the Education Minister with the task of developing an Advanced Skills portfolio, an acknowledgment of the strong link between AI-assisted machanized labor, economy and education that will exist in the future, saying, “Advanced technology will create new jobs and make half of existing jobs redundant within just ten years.”

Also significant were the appointments of Mariam Al Muhairi and Sara Al Amiri as Minister of State for Food Security and Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, respectively.

“We also appointed Sara Al Amiri as a Minister of State who will be responsible for the Advanced Sciences portfolio. Her task will be focused on research, development and building scientific capabilities. Sara will also be responsible for the UAE Council of Scientists, and she will capably lead the UAE mission to Mars.”

SCIENCE

UAE Enters the Race to Put Men on Mars

The UAE’s forward-looking approach to embracing and making efforts to integrate vital new technology has earned the country respect from many countries in the world. This is the most evident in the generous support it has put behind developing and supporting a number of various projects centered around solar technology and autonomous cars.

Though the UAE's Centennial 2071 initiative is quite ambitious, this official restructuring of leadership is undoubtedly laying the foundation for accomplishing the aims set forth. The danger is not in Artificial Intelligence itself, but in countries which take on R&D projects for the technology without putting a solid blueprint in place --in other words, solid integrative approach. The UAE is proving with its recent actions that it can be a model in this domain.

Space

UAE Creates Role of Minister for Artificial Intelligence

As part of the UAE Centennial 2071 initiative, Sheikh Mohammed has appointed the first State Minister for Artificial Intelligence, an effort which is sure to move the country in a bold new direction.

The UAE recently made a bold move that is perhaps the strongest demonstration of any government’s official endorsement of Artificial Intelligence technology. An Artificial Intelligence minister has been appointed, implying enough reliance and expectations of reliance on the technology to warrant the position. 

The official title will be State Minister for Artificial Intelligence, and the activities of the position will coincide with UAE’s 2031 AI Strategy, a comprehensive government effort that will integrate all AI technologies in the society.

The young appointee is 27-year-old Omar Sultan Al-Ulama, who brings his experience as Deputy Director of the Future Department and now Managing Director of the World Government Summit to the position.

The announcement came on Thursday from UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed, part of a general restructuring of the Cabinet: “We announce the appointment of a minister for artificial intelligence. The next global wave is artificial intelligence and we want the UAE to be more prepared for it.” 

“The new government will catapult the UAE into its prosperous centenary which aims for fostering knowledge, science and research as well as engaging the youth in the leadership of the nation,” Sheikh Mohammad said, stressing the true purpose behind the restructure as “a renewal of blood, a catalyst for change and a preparation for the next stage of our nation's path”.

With a nod to the AI minister and the Minister of State of Higher Education, Sheikh Mohammed assigned the Education Minister with the task of developing an Advanced Skills portfolio, an acknowledgment of the strong link between AI-assisted machanized labor, economy and education that will exist in the future, saying, “Advanced technology will create new jobs and make half of existing jobs redundant within just ten years.”

Also significant were the appointments of Mariam Al Muhairi and Sara Al Amiri as Minister of State for Food Security and Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, respectively.

“We also appointed Sara Al Amiri as a Minister of State who will be responsible for the Advanced Sciences portfolio. Her task will be focused on research, development and building scientific capabilities. Sara will also be responsible for the UAE Council of Scientists, and she will capably lead the UAE mission to Mars.”

SCIENCE

UAE Enters the Race to Put Men on Mars

The UAE’s forward-looking approach to embracing and making efforts to integrate vital new technology has earned the country respect from many countries in the world. This is the most evident in the generous support it has put behind developing and supporting a number of various projects centered around solar technology and autonomous cars.

Though the UAE's Centennial 2071 initiative is quite ambitious, this official restructuring of leadership is undoubtedly laying the foundation for accomplishing the aims set forth. The danger is not in Artificial Intelligence itself, but in countries which take on R&D projects for the technology without putting a solid blueprint in place --in other words, solid integrative approach. The UAE is proving with its recent actions that it can be a model in this domain.

NASA's InSight lander will travel to Mars next year. When it does, it will be carrying two microchips bearing the names of members of the public.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

An example of a "boarding pass" that members of the public can download by participating in NASA's Frequent Fliers program. With each NASA mission that flies their names, individuals can accumulate "miles" on their boarding pass.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

When it lands on Mars in November of 2018, NASA's InSight lander will be carrying several science instruments -- along with hundreds of thousands of names from members of the public.

In 2015, nearly 827,000 people signed up to add their names to a silicon microchip onboard the robotic spacecraft. NASA is now adding a second microchip, giving the public another chance to send their names to Mars.

New submissions will be accepted through Nov. 1, 2017, at the following link:

go.nasa.gov/InSightPass

"Mars continues to excite space enthusiasts of all ages," said Bruce Banerdt, the InSight mission's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "This opportunity lets them become a part of the spacecraft that will study the inside of the Red Planet."

This fly-your-name opportunity comes with "frequent flier" points reflecting an individual's personal participation in NASA's exploration of Mars. These points span multiple missions and multiple decades. Participants who sent their names on the previous InSight opportunity in 2015 can download a "boarding pass" and see their "frequent flier" miles.

As part of this frequent flier program, a chip carrying the names of 1.38 million people also flew aboard the first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft in 2014. NASA is building Orion to carry astronauts to deep space destinations that will enable future missions to Mars.

After InSight, the next opportunity to earn frequent flier points will be NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first flight bringing together the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars and beyond.

InSight will be the first mission to explore Mars' deep interior. The spacecraft will set down a seismometer to detect marsquakes and meteor strikes, using the seismic energy of these phenomena to study material far below the Martian surface. It also will deploy a self-hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet. These and other InSight investigations will improve our understanding about the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth.

InSight is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in May of 2018.

For more information on InSight, visit:

go.nasa.gov/InSightPass

Contest· NASA· Space

SEND YOUR NAME TO MARS?

NASA's InSight lander will travel to Mars next year. When it does, it will be carrying two microchips bearing the names of members of the public.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

An example of a "boarding pass" that members of the public can download by participating in NASA's Frequent Fliers program. With each NASA mission that flies their names, individuals can accumulate "miles" on their boarding pass.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

When it lands on Mars in November of 2018, NASA's InSight lander will be carrying several science instruments -- along with hundreds of thousands of names from members of the public.

In 2015, nearly 827,000 people signed up to add their names to a silicon microchip onboard the robotic spacecraft. NASA is now adding a second microchip, giving the public another chance to send their names to Mars.

New submissions will be accepted through Nov. 1, 2017, at the following link:

go.nasa.gov/InSightPass

"Mars continues to excite space enthusiasts of all ages," said Bruce Banerdt, the InSight mission's principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "This opportunity lets them become a part of the spacecraft that will study the inside of the Red Planet."

This fly-your-name opportunity comes with "frequent flier" points reflecting an individual's personal participation in NASA's exploration of Mars. These points span multiple missions and multiple decades. Participants who sent their names on the previous InSight opportunity in 2015 can download a "boarding pass" and see their "frequent flier" miles.

As part of this frequent flier program, a chip carrying the names of 1.38 million people also flew aboard the first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft in 2014. NASA is building Orion to carry astronauts to deep space destinations that will enable future missions to Mars.

After InSight, the next opportunity to earn frequent flier points will be NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first flight bringing together the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars and beyond.

InSight will be the first mission to explore Mars' deep interior. The spacecraft will set down a seismometer to detect marsquakes and meteor strikes, using the seismic energy of these phenomena to study material far below the Martian surface. It also will deploy a self-hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet. These and other InSight investigations will improve our understanding about the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth.

InSight is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in May of 2018.

For more information on InSight, visit:

go.nasa.gov/InSightPass