The Edge of Innovation
The UAE is stepping up its AI strategy with an investment in military R&D. The benefits to business and society will be huge.
By Xische Editorial, November 6, 2019
Source: Hudasaktian/Shutterstock
The battlefield is an incubator of innovation. This unseamly statement is unavoidable in the grand arch of history. In the modern age, military research has produced everyday technologies from aviation to microwave ovens. Today research is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as the world’s superpowers compete for influence and power in a new technological arms race. Given the decentralised nature of technological progress, smaller countries are also investing in cutting-edge research of their own. Last week, the UAE announced that it would begin new investing in the military research sector as part of a broad effort to become a global leader in AI research.
The new defense conglomerate known as Edge was announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The company will bring together more than 25 state-owned and independent entities with a combined staff of more than 12,000 people. Edge will focus on research and development ranging from weapons systems to cyber protection and AI.
According to Faisal Al Bannai, the head of Edge, global military research and development (R&D) funds have reached more than $120bn but not enough of these funds are being used to develop new technologies and incorporate existing developments in AI. Edge will attempt to reverse this trend by focusing on autonomous devices such as drones, the Internet of Things, advanced propulsion systems, robotics and smart materials, as well as AI.
“Edge will help us to transform our domestic capabilities while growing our engagements on defence and security exports,” Tareq Al Hosani, chief executive of Tawazun Economic Council, told The National. The hidden potential of this new enterprise could be the effect on the UAE’s homegrown knowledge economy. Investment into AI research on the battlefield will spur additional developments in everyday applications of the technology. As new technologies and systems are created for the military, the same innovations will trickle into everyday life.
Let’s consider some examples. Militaries strive to use the most efficient systems for managing soldiers on the battlefield. If AI can streamline operations for, say, a remote soldier encampment, the same tech could be used for the organisation of resources in a retail operation like a grocery store. It's about doing more with less by maximizing the efficiency of existing resources.
If Souq.com needed to set up operations in the Empty Quarter to service new customers, what would be the best way to handle the challenge? They could copy how militaries around the world set up encampments in remote places. Coupled with Amazon’s successful warehouse operations that use AI and robots to ship everything from staples to iPads, Souq.com could have operations running in no time. This interaction between military expertise and private sector innovation can combine to push technology forward.
For a country like the UAE the intersection of technology and military research has other social and practical implications. For one thing, Edge will be an additional stream of funding into the knowledge-based economy that the UAE has been building for the past two decades. With funding and support come engineers and innovation. Edge will be able to attract the best and brightest to the UAE and work with other leading military research programmes in both the public and private sectors around the world.
Any breakthroughs to come out of the defence sector could also have positive ramifications for the demographics of UAE society. Because the majority of labour is imported to the country and natural resources such as water are limited, any reduction of labour needs thanks to AI innovations will result in a major boost to the local economy.
Pivoting towards a knowledge-based economy will not only boost the level of technology coming out of the Emirates but revolutinse society and demographics. When you think about the Souq.com example outlined above or optimizing staffing needs at a local grocery store in Abu Dhabi, improvements in efficiency through AI and advanced robotics would be profound for the local economy.
Consider the effects in one of the UAE’s most important economic sectors, aviation. According to the publication Towards Data Science, military research is helping civilian aviation designers come up with new systems to make the sector safer and more efficient. Teams around the world are also developing AI-based autopilot systems designed to teach an autopilot system to behave like a highly experienced pilot when faced with an emergency situation, such as severe weather, turbulence, or system failure.
Emirates and Etihad have been on the bleeding-edge of consumer aviation for the last decade. If these powerhouses can adopt the latest technology to streamline costs, improve safety, and deliver the best customer experience, it will help extend the reach of the UAE’s most important economic sectors.
Ultimately, we don’t know what innovations are on the horizon of military R&D or how they will affect our daily lives. But it is clear that the world’s leading knowledge economies invest in military technological R&D and the creation of Edge is further evidence of the maturity of the UAE’s technology sector. The resources and investment are there for the next great innovation to come from Emirati shores.
