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Etisalat Digital, a unit within the UAE’s largest telecommunications provider Etisalat, announced on 30 July 2018 that it is working with Dubai Future Accelerators on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) via video surveillance systems to tackle crime and road congestion in the UAE.
The company said that the AI will be used to analyse behaviour, predict crime-related patterns, congestion, and road accidents. Etisalat Digital and Dubai Future Accelerators will also include in the AI system automated decision capability that can alert the appropriate authorities in the event of an incident or crime.
The project is part of Etisalat’s latest plan for the fifth cohort of Dubai Future Accelerators that focuses on creating smart innovative solutions based on emerging technologies like AI and the Blockchain.
Etisalat Digital said that the project is in support of the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE the safest place in the world and to enhance transportation efficiency. UAE cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai are already considered to be among the safest in the world when it comes to incidences of violent crime.
Etisalat Digital also announced that it is engaged in a second project that focuses on using Blockchain technology to reduce transactional costs and complexity in Business-to-Business (B2B) processes between banks, government, and private sectors by 40 percent within five years.
Francisco Salcedo, senior vice president at Etisalat Digital, said, “Our partnership with the accelerator supports us in collaborating with innovative companies worldwide to bring the latest innovation to our customers.”
Applications are open to companies across the globe to participate in these projects along with technology experts from Etisalat Digital. Companies will be shortlisted and selected as part of a nine-week programme expected to start in September 2018.
Towards the end of the programme, Etisalat Digital will sign a commercial agreement with selected companies.
Dubai Future Accelerators was launched in 2016 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council, under the directive of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.
The programme is a government initiative that aims to bring the world’s most promising and transformative technology start-ups to Dubai to collaborate with local entities and find solutions for future challenges.
