Dignitaries gather below a screen at the launch of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial intelligence in Abu Dhabi on October 16. (Courtesy :The National / Chris Whiteoak)Updated 48 sec agoSAIMA SHABBIROctober 27, 201907:31

• Abu Dhabi’s Mohammad Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence will open its doors on September 2020
• We have a lot to learn from the UAE, AI university is an excellent initiative, Fawad Chaudhry says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Friday lauded the United Arab Emirates’ plans to launch the world’s first university of artificial intelligence, expressing Islamabad’s interest in collaborating on the project.
Earlier this month, Abu Dhabi announced the opening of the first dedicated AI university. The Mohammad Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) will open its doors on September 2020.
Chaudhary said Pakistan also had a center of excellence on artificial intelligence and “would like to join hands with the UAE university to enhance the capabilities of our people in the field”.
“UAE was the first country which established a proper ministry for artificial intelligence in 2017,” the minister told Arab News in a phone interview from China where he is on a six-day official visit. “We have a lot to learn from the UAE. This AI university is an excellent initiative.”
Chaudhry praised the “visionary leadership” of crown prince Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed, under whom he said the UAE had progressed immensely in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence.”
Under an artificial intelligence strategy 2031, the UAE is looking to save 50 percent of its annual costs by using technology for smart governance.
Exploring options for bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence, Chairman of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr. Tariq Banuri, said on Thursday that the HEC would study the programs offered at MBZUAI and work on a possible collaboration plan.
“We have established nine different centers of excellence in artificial intelligence in different universities across Pakistan about two years ago…and would like to further strengthen them as per international standards,” Banuri told Arab News from Islamabad.
He added that while MBZUAI was a step in the right direction for the UAE, “a lot of challenges” lay ahead for a single discipline university to flourish and sustain.
Anis Sheikh, CEO of startup baseH Technologies, said investing in artificial intelligence was no longer a choice but a necessity.
“AI is … shaping the future of home, education, lifestyle, entertainment and almost every industry,” Sheikh told Arab News via phone from Karachi.
He said many Pakistani professionals and companies had made their mark internationally in the field of artificial intelligence.
“We have used AI in e-commerce, health, auto industry, financial sectors and media solutions. As this field is growing so it needs more professionals,” Sheikh said, adding that MBZUAI could help Pakistani universities fill the AI gap. “If Pakistan can find some way of collaborating with the AI university [in the UAE], it can be a good breakthrough for students and researchers.”