UAE Considers Tightening AI Regulations: Minister of AI Pushes for Stricter Policies
Published on: March 10, 2024
At the Fortune Global Forum in Abu Dhabi, Omar Al Olama, the world's first minister of AI, warned about the risks of overregulating artificial intelligence. He compared the potential negative impact of such regulation to the Ottoman Empire's decline after rejecting the printing press in 1515.
Al Olama reflected on the Middle Ages, when Islam's caliphate was a hub of scientific and cultural advancement. The empire's refusal to adopt Gutenberg's invention due to various concerns, including job loss and misinformation, led to its eventual downfall from being a leading center of culture and learning.
Drawing parallels to contemporary challenges with AI, Al Olama pointed out similarities in the concerns raised, such as AI's impact on employment, the spread of misinformation, and the uncertainty surrounding the technology's broader societal effects.
The UAE minister emphasized the need for balanced regulation, advocating for policies that neither hinder technological progress nor leave society unprepared for its impacts. He proposed an approach based on 'reskill, retool, and retire' to manage the workforce transitions brought about by AI advancements.
Al Olama highlighted the UAE's strategy to address AI's impact: reskilling those whose jobs are disrupted by AI, retooling workers to leverage AI for increased productivity, and offering early retirement options for those unable to adapt. This approach, he believes, offers people a sense of agency and choice in the face of technological change.
Concluding his speech, Al Olama called for proactive, rather than reactive, measures in AI governance, stressing the importance of a dialogue between governments and the private sector to ensure that populations are not left behind in the race for technological progress.