Human societies are defined by technologies: fire, electricity and the internet have been turning points for our civilization. Peng Xiao, Group CEO at G42 says that one technology promises to be even more transformative:

“Artificial intelligence, for the first time in human history, gives us a tool to transform our society, even without our direct interference.”

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G42 is a technology holding company with multiple vertical businesses under sectors including smart cities, oil and gas and healthcare. Xiao has a vision for how AI will become truly transformative:

“Today we live in the age of artificial narrow intelligence. Many of the AI applications are very specifically focused on a particular domain. Our vision is that one day we can develop a general intelligence: AI that eventually can reach beyond the level of human intelligence.”

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To realize the potential of AI, G42 has developed its own Cloud business. Talal Alkaissi, CEO at G42 Cloud explains the role this plays in the digital economy:

“Cloud presents an interesting value proposition for digital transformation. The Cloud enables the digital infrastructure and AI solutions to be dedicated to the industry verticals that we operate in. We provide Cloud as an outsourced utility, bringing down the total cost of ownership and managing the infrastructure scale.”

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As more organizations realize the value of data, Alkaissi says that digital independence and digital sovereignty will become key issues for governments:

“G42 Cloud can enable governments to ensure data residency is maintained within the country. This inspires confidence for stakeholders with sensitive data to ensure that they are the owners of the destiny of that data, whether it's monetization or ensuring that it's kept secure.”

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Security is also critical in the healthcare sector, where medical decisions can hinge on data. Ashish Koshy, CEO at G42 Healthcare says that digital tools could make us all healthier:

“We want to develop AI and digitization tools that reduce the healthcare burden, transitioning from sick care to preventive care. We have employed advanced AI techniques and vast computing resources to accelerate the detection of COVID-19 and our AI models can detect lung cancer, brain lesions, and cardiac abnormalities, facilitating advances in chronic disease management.”

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Other developments in geospatial data analytics are fast growing and AI is revolutionizing how data is leveraged in the sector. Hasan Al Hosani, CEO at Bayanat, a G42 company, explains how High Altitude Pseudo-satellites (HAPS) work:

“The HAPS is an aerial platform that sits in the stratosphere. It can provide different types of data from telecoms to remote sensing, powered by renewable and carbon negative energy. The HAPS has been part of the phase one trial of the Middle East’s first fleet of autonomous ride hailing vehicles and we are launching the robo-bus, operating on level four of autonomous driving technology.”

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But where does all this data live? Hasan Al Naqbi, CEO at Khazna Data Centers says that even data storage is changing to meet the needs of modern AI applications:

“Data centers are becoming more and more modular and flexible to accommodate all needs: from hyperscale data centers, to small enterprise and edge data centers designed for IOT and low latency applications. Data center operators are well equipped to take care of the entire ecosystem and be customized to the clients’ business needs.”

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Khazna Data Centers currently operate 11 data centers with plans for three more to be brought online by the close of 2023. Al Naqbi says that throughout, sustainability is a key consideration:

“We are committed to operating environmentally friendly and responsible facilities. Hopefully, in the next few years, we'll become one of the biggest players in this industry.”

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G42 may focus on technology, but it still needs human talent. Maymee Kurian, Group Chief Human Capital and Culture Officer at G42 says that AI can help her in her quest to discover and promote talent:

“Data and analytics provide actionable insights to HR, ensuring we bring the best talent to our teams. Retaining talent is difficult but through listening to our team, we continue to make G42 a place where employees feel valued and grow. With diversity comes strength: we employ about 75 nationalities, 30 percent female employees and have a strong Emirati workforce.”

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For Peng Xiao, there is a clear mission for G42 to master the developing technologies of AI:

“AI is not just another tool. AI has a capacity of learning and developing itself. AI can benefit the entire humankind profoundly. We have to ensure AI becomes the next utility that can transform and improve every part of our society.”