UAE, India can increase global footprint through commerce, says Omar Al Olama

By Krishnan Nayar

NEW DELHI, 26th October, 2022 (WAM) -- Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, during a three-day global conference on technology in New Delhi, said that the UAE and India can work together to substantially increase their footprint across the world through commerce.

“The way to influence the world today is through commerce. If countries like the UAE and India can work together, we can substantially increase our footprint in the world,” Al Olama said during the opening session of the conference in a video conversation with Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation, which has organised the event.

Al Olama underscored the deep-rooted relations between the UAE and India and said there are multiple areas for bilateral cooperation, noting to the immense scope for collaboration between start-ups in both countries.

The minister highlighted that his mandate is to check the bad and advance the good while promoting technology to create a better future for all. “My job is to ensure that Artificial Intelligence deployment allows for more proactive governments, allows for better economic returns and allows for a better future for everyone.”

In regards to the oil industry, Al Olama emphasised his drive to apply Artificial Intelligence to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of production. “We need to spend on infrastructure. We will use Artificial Intelligence and manage traffic effectively to ensure that people do not get gridlocked as increased traffic flows."

Al Olama added that the UAE has a high share of women in digital space, stating that more women are now entering into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) due to increased connectivity.

The three-day conference, titled CyFy2022, aims to engage in critical foresight to shape policy, normative, and systemic responses to both established trends and signals of change.