Press Releases
11 Oct 2022
RTA’s Youth Council calls for exploring opportunities in the data economy during GITEX 2022
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s Youth Council, in cooperation with Dubai Digital Authority, hosted a Youth Circle titled 'The Role of Youth in Artificial Intelligence and the Data Economy' in Dubai yesterday, on the sideline of GITEX 2022 - the largest tech show in the world. In the Youth Circle, youth explored the opportunities available in today's data-driven economy, including artificial intelligence and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The session discussed ways youth can contribute to digital leadership, including active listening and participating in conversations, brainstorming ideas, and identifying talents and skills.
The Youth Circle was attended by Mohammed Yousef Al Mudharreb, CEO, Corporate Technology Support Services Sector, RTA; Mousa Al Raeisi, Director, Strategy and Technology Governance, Corporate Technology Support Services Sector, RTA, Meera Al Sheikh, Director of the Smart Services Department in the Corporate Technical Support Sector at the RTA, Niamh Spelman MEA general manager Microsoft solutions, the Chairman of the Dubai Youth Council, Abdullah Al Sheikh, and representatives from the Dubai Digital Authority and members of the Youth Council of RTA.
Al Mudharreb pointed out that since its establishment RTA has benefited from the huge amount of data generated by its operations and services, which has enhanced its growth opportunities. He also added that data is the oil of the future economy, and an inexhaustible source of wealth, as evident in vital industries like health care and aviation. A treasure trove of data is generated by the healthcare industry, including test results, vaccines, and customer records. In the aviation industry, a terabyte of data is generated every flight, and the analysis of this data helps companies such as Emirates maximise profits and improve service levels.
Mousa Al Raeisi in his intervention talked about the data being the oil of the future and needs an incubator or platform to flourish. Dubai is the perfect platform in this regard. The Emirate has adopted AI technologies as it perceived beforehand that it would shape the next global revolution. Also, the UAE has adopted a national strategy for the 4th Industrial Revolution, which is a true manifestation of the data era and the UAE’s vision for AI and robots capable of performing human jobs.
The participants pointed out that the world produces 2.5 quantum bytes of data daily, and that this huge number periodically doubles. They also maintained that employing and benefiting from this data requires competent youth capable of handling the “flood” of data in key economic sectors.
Participating youth and students stressed the importance of this academic stream and the potential opportunities it holds. However, they were uncertain about the ability of the job market to offer placements in this specialty in the foreseeable future. However, they expressed their confidence that the future may have a lot of changes in the job market, which can stimulate the demand for these important technical specialities.
Among the key objectives of this discussion panel, which was held at the Digital Dubai platform during GITEX 2022 is to encourage the youth to join this major as they have unlimited open minds capable of learning and unlocking potential opportunities. These minds are capable of identifying these opportunities and applying data to transform them into innovative products and ideas.