KARACHI: Pakistan’s economy could lose up to $300 million due to Internet disruptions caused by imposition of a national firewall, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) said in a press release on Thursday.
Islamabad is implementing an Internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms, according local media reports. The government denies the use of the firewall for censorship.
Ali Ihsan, senior vice chairman of P@SHA, said the imposition of the firewall has already caused prolonged Internet disconnections and erratic VPN performance, threatening a “complete meltdown of business operations.”
“These disruptions are not mere inconveniences; but, a direct, tangible and aggressive assault on the industry’s viability – inflicting an estimated and devastating financial losses estimated to reach $300 million, which can further increase exponentially,” he said in the statement.
Pakistan’s telecommunication authority and Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja did not immediately respond.
Earlier this month, Khawaja told local media that the government did not plan to use firewalls as a form of censorship.
Pakistan has already blocked access to social media platform X since the February elections in which jailed former prime minister Imran Khan won the most seats despite a crackdown and ban on his party.
The government has said the blocking was to stop anti state activities and a failure by X to adhere to local Pakistani laws. Rights activists say the blocking of X is designed to stifle critical voices and democratic accountability in the country.
In its statement, P@SHA said that the government’s lack of transparency around the firewall had “ignited a firestorm of distrust” among Internet users and Pakistan’s global IT clients who fear their proprietary data and privacy will be compromised.
P@SHA demanded an “immediate and unconditional halt to this digital siege” and called on the government to engage with the industry to develop a cybersecurity framework.
Pakistan recorded $298 million in IT exports in June, up 33 percent from the year before. During the fiscal year that ended in June, IT exports were worth $3.2 billion, up 24 percent from $2.5 billion in the fiscal year 2023.
Pakistan’s Internet firewall could cost economy $300 million, association says
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Pakistan’s Internet firewall could cost economy $300 million, association says
- Pakistan is implementing Internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platform
- Government said firewall not to be used for censorship
Rapid advancement in AI requires comprehensive reevaluation, careful use, say panelists at GAIN Summit
- KAUST’s president speaks of ‘amazing young talents’
RIYADH: The rapid advancement in artificial intelligence requires a comprehensive reevaluation of traditional educational practices and methodologies and careful use of the technology, said panelists at the Global AI Summit, also known as GAIN, which opened in Riyadh on Tuesday.
During the session “Paper Overdue: Rethinking Schooling for Gen AI,” the panelists delved into the transformative impact of AI on education — from automated essay generation to personalized learning algorithms — and encouraged a rethink of the essence of teaching and learning, speaking of the necessity of an education system that seamlessly integrated with AI advancement.
Edward Byrne, president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, said the next decade would be interesting with advanced AI enterprises.
He added: “We now have a program to individualize assessment and, as a result, we have amazing young talents. AI will revolutionize the education system.”
Byrne, however, advised proceeding with caution, advocating the need for a “carefully designed AI system” while stressing the “careful use” of AI for “assessment.”
Alain Le Couedic, senior partner at venture firm Artificial Intelligence Quartermaster, echoed the sentiment, saying: “AI should be used carefully in learning and assessment. It’s good when fairly used to gain knowledge and skills.”
Whether at school or university, students were embracing AI, said David Yarowsky, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University.
He added: “So, careful use is important as it’s important to enhance skills and not just use AI to leave traditional methods and be less productive. It (AI) should ensure comprehensive evaluation and fair assessment.”
Manal Abdullah Alohali, dean of the College of Computer and Information Science at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, underlined that AI was a necessity and not a luxury.
She said the university had recently introduced programs to leverage AI and was planning to launch a “massive AI program next year.”
She explained that the university encouraged its students to “use AI in an ethical way” and “critically examine themselves” while doing so.
In another session, titled “Elevating Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Well-being,” Deepak Chopra, founder of the Chopra Foundation and Chopra Global, explored how AI could revolutionize well-being and open new horizons for personal development.
He said AI had the potential to help create a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy, and joyful world as it could provide teachings from different schools of thought and stimulate ethical and moral values.
While AI could not duplicate human intelligence, it could vastly enhance personal and spiritual growth and intelligence through technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and the metaverse, he added.
The GAIN Summit, which is organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, is taking place until Sept. 12 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The summit is focusing on one of today’s most pressing global issues — AI technology — and aims to find solutions that maximize the potential of these transformative technologies for the benefit of humanity.
Older generations more likely to fall for AI-generated fake news, Global AI Summit hears
- Semafor co-founder Ben Smith says he is ‘much more worried about Gen X and older people’ falling for misinformation than younger generations
RIYADH: Media experts are concerned that older generations are more susceptible to AI-generated deep fakes and misinformation than younger people, the audience at the Global AI Summit in Riyadh heard on Tuesday.
“I am so much more worried about Gen X (those born between 1965 and 1980) and older people,” Semafor co-founder and editor-in-chief Ben Smith said during a panel titled “AI and the Future of Media: Threats and Opportunities.”
He added: “I think that young people, for better and for worse, really have learned to be skeptical, and to immediately be skeptical, of anything they’re presented with — of images, of videos, of claims — and to try to figure out where they’re getting it.”
Smith was joined during the discussion, moderated by Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal Abbas, by the vice president and editor-in-chief of CNN Arabic, Caroline Faraj, and Anthony Nakache, the managing director of Google MENA.
They said that AI, as a tool, is too important not to be properly regulated. In particular they highlighted its potential for verification of facts and content creation in the media industry, but said educating people about its uses is crucial.
“We have always been looking at how we can build AI in a very safe and responsible way,” said Nakache, who added that Google is working with governments and agencies to figure out the best way to go about this.
The integration of AI into journalism requires full transparency, the panelists agreed. Faraj said the technology offers a multifunctional tool that can be used for several purposes, including data verification, transcription and translation. But to ensure a report contains the full and balanced truth, a journalist will still always be needed to confirm the facts using their professional judgment.
The panelists also agreed that AI would not take important jobs from humans in the industry, as it is designed to complete repetitive manual tasks, freeing up more of a journalist’s time to interact with people and their environment.
“Are you really going to use AI go to a war zone and to the front line to cover stories? Of course not,” said Faraj.
Smith, who has written a book on news sites and viral content, warned about the unethical ways in which some media outlets knowingly use AI-generated content because they “get addicted” to the traffic such content can generate.
All of the panelists said that educating people is the key to finding the best way forward regarding the role of AI in the media. Nakache said Google has so far trained 20,000 journalists in the region to better equip them with knowledge of how to use digital tools, and funds organizations in the region making innovative use of technology.
“It is a collective effort and we are taking our responsibility,” he added.
The panelists also highlighted some of the methods that can be used to combat confusion and prevent misinformation related to the use of AI, including the use of digital watermarks and programs that can analyze content and inform users if it was AI-generated.
Asked how traditional media organizations can best teach their audiences how to navigate the flood of deep fakes and misinformation, while still delivering the kind of content they want, Faraj said: “You listen to them. We listen to our audience and we hear exactly what they wanted to do and how we can enable them.
“We enable them and equip them with the knowledge. Sometimes we offer training, sometimes we offer listening; but listening is a must before taking any action.”
Governance and regulation of AI is crucial, experts say at Saudi-hosted summit
- Panelists discuss UN initiatives and recommendations to support ethical governance of AI
RIYADH: Governance is crucial for artificial intelligence, said South Africa’s minister of science, technology, and innovation, Blade Nzimande, on Tuesday at the third Global AI Summit in Riyadh.
In a panel titled “Global Approach to Advance Ethical Governance of AI,” Nzimande announced South Africa’s collaboration with international partners to ensure full implementation of UNESCO’s recommendations on the governance of AI.
UNESCO released its first-ever global standard on AI ethics, titled “Recommendation on the Ethics of AI” in 2021, and earlier this year, launched the Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory, which is a platform for knowledge, expert insights, and good practices on the ethics and governance of AI.
Nzimande said that UNESCO’s recommendations, if implemented, would help “address the racial and gender biases, which are often embedded in AI systems; safeguard against AI applications, which violates human rights; and ensure that AI development does not contribute to climate degradation.”
He added: “We need to ensure that the governance of AI is truly inclusive, and not the self-claimed prerogative of a select few. UNESCO offers us this inclusive, globally representative platform, where the voices of all matter, and South Africa commits our resources to support the recommendation’s implementation, in Africa and elsewhere.”
Other panelists included Laurence Ndong, minister of information and communication technologies for Gabon; Mohammed Ali Al-Qaed, chief executive of the Information and eGovernment Authority for the Kingdom of Bahrain; Makara Khov, secretary of state at the Cambodian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications; Ali Al-Shidhani, undersecretary for communications and information technology for the Sultanate of Oman; German State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport Stefan Schnorr; Miroslav Trajanovic, state secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation; and Aissatou Jeanne Ndiaye, Senegal’s director of information and communication technology.
During the session, each representative gave a run-down of their country’s commitment to ethical AI governance.
The rapid growth of AI has made its regulation a critical focus with the topic informing another panel, titled “Efforts in Shaping Global AI Governance from the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation to the Global Digital Compact.”
Panelists included Nighat Dad, executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation; Amandeep Singh Gill, the secretary-general’s envoy for technology at the UN; Lattifa Al-Abdulkarim, member of the Shura Council and the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI; Nazneen Rajani, founder and CEO of Collinear AI; and Philip Thigo, Kenya’s special envoy on technology.
The panelists analyzed the “Interim Report: Governing AI for Humanity” by the UN secretary-general’s AI advisory body focusing on the role of the body in shaping global AI policy.
Rajani highlighted the issue of limited data availability for some countries or entities and the importance of data governance in line with UNESCO’s recommendation of member states developing data governance strategies.
“One way to bridge that gap is to think of data governance in a way where we can have a data trust; a marketplace of sharing anonymized, privacy preserving data,” she said.
The GAIN Summit, organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, is taking place from Sept. 10-12 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Third edition of Global AI Summit launches in Riyadh
- Summit runs until Sept. 12 at the King Abdulaziz Convention Center
- Event is expected to host more than 400 speakers in 150 sessions, with more than 20,000 people set to attend in person and an estimated 25 million participating online
RIYADH: The third edition of the Global AI Summit, also known as GAIN, brought together business leaders, high-ranking officials, and top academics from more than 100 countries on its opening day on Tuesday.
After an opening ceremony featuring silver-clad dancers twirling neon lights, and a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority’s President Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi delivered the opening speech.
“Let’s think about human-centered artificial intelligence … Despite the challenges, I remain optimistic. The solution is unity. We can navigate the AI-driven world through collaboration,” he said.
“Today, we celebrate ALLaM, a pioneering Arabic large language model proudly developed here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The SDAIA’s president also highlighted the progress of the SauTech Arabic speech-to-text tool that was unveiled at the previous edition of the summit in 2022.
Since then, SauTech has been utilized by the Saudi Ministry of Justice to transcribe thousands of hours of virtual court hearings.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha chaired the first panel of the conference entitled “Empowering Society Through AI-Driven Technology.”
He highlighted partnerships between Aramco, Qualcomm, and Alat Technologies to develop new AI solutions in the Kingdom.
Other major announcements from the first day included the SDAIA’s partnership with UNESCO to launch the International Center for AI Research and Ethics.
The ICAIRE intends to boost awareness of ethics in AI, support research and development, and provide recommendations on AI policies.
Aramco announced the deployment of an AI supercomputer designed to accelerate complex tasks like analyzing drilling plans and geological data in order to recommend the most efficient oil well placement options.
The oil company also signed further memorandums of understanding with Cerebras Systems, SambaNova Systems, and FuriosaAI to explore collaboration in supercomputing, neural processing, and innovation in Saudi Arabia.
The SDAIA also announced a new smart gate system at NEOM Bay Airport, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate of Passports.
The system aims to use AI technology to improve the efficiency of immigration services at the airport.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism signed an agreement with the SDAIA to establish a center of excellence for AI in tourism, and to promote the development of AI technologies in the sector.
Another memorandum of understanding was signed with Qassim University to train national cadres in data and AI.
The General Presidency of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice signed an agreement with the SDAIA to collaborate over IT and data management.
This year’s edition of GAIN runs until Sept. 12 at the King Abdulaziz Convention Center.
The three-day summit is expected to host more than 400 speakers in 150 sessions, with more than 20,000 people set to attend in person and an estimated 25 million participating online.
AI to transform workspace with new model created by Aramco Digital and Groq
- Semiconductor company Groq will provide the scalable infrastructure needed to bring Aramco Digital AI model Norous to life
RIYADH: A hands-free computer and intent seamlessly translated into action — the future of the workplace is “completely customizable,” Aramco Digital CEO Tareq Amin said on a panel at the Global AI Summit, GAIN, in Riyadh on Tuesday.
In partnership with Groq, the second-largest semiconductor company in artificial intelligence providing advanced AI chips, Aramco Digital unveiled Norous, an advanced generative AI model that uses vocal commands to increase productivity in the workspace.
AI chips process large amounts of data needed for AI workloads.
Take, for example, building an organization structure for a new start-up company; when prompted, Norous will create the structure based on existing models instead of suggesting an answer in a textual format.
Rather than move from application to application, employees will be able to complete all their daily tasks on one smarter platform.
“If you want to be able to establish web conferencing and collaboration, you should be able to declare intent,” Amin said, explaining that commands like “preview weekly calendar” or “schedule meetings” should be made hands-free in order to optimize office efficiency.
Groq will come in to provide the scalable infrastructure needed to bring Norous to life.
Deploying in Saudi Arabia with the commitment to build the world’s largest AI inferencing data center, Jonathan Ross, CEO and founder of Groq, said that the Kingdom is an ideal hub for the project due to its very active business climate, plentiful energy reserves, and strategic location — being “at the nexus of 4 billion people,” Ross said.
Groc claims to make the fastest AI chips in the world, with their language processing unit running at 544 tokens per second. One token is roughly one word.
“Question I get a lot is: Is AI the next internet? The answer is absolutely not, because AI is a generative age technology,” Ross said.
Artificial intelligence is “not about copying or replicating,” he added but rather “about creating something new … and it runs on compute.”
Aramco Digital and Groq plan to deliver 25 million tokens by the end of the first quarter of 2025. With a new supply chain management system capable of generating a billion tokens per second, 20 percent of the 25 million is ready to be deployed this year and the rest is due for the next.
Deployment refers to moving software files from a development space to a production space.
“That’s going to be enough to support neighboring continents that allow us to support parts of Europe, parts of Africa, maybe even a little bit of India,” Ross said.
“When we get to a billion tokens … it’s going to turn the Kingdom into a net exporter of compute that will be able to reach about 4 billion people from this country.”
