Event Details

The Economist's World Ahead 2024 publication predicted that 2024 will be the year in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) gets real, as businesses adopt it and techies improve it.


Debate will intensify over the best regulatory approach fot governments to take amid concerns about AI's effects on jobs and potential for fraud and election meddling. And whether arguments over "existential risk" are real or just a decoy to benefit encumbents.


Meanwhile, unexpected uses and abuses will keep emerging.


With the advent of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and others, the topic of generative AI in particular has arrived in our daily discussions. Due to its performance in applications such as natural language processing, image generation and machine translation, this technology has already demonstrated its enormous potential.


Indeed the following paragraphs (and the event title) were created by Chat GPT, which itself suggested the key areas for debate...


I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to extend a formal invitation to participate in an exclusive roundtable discussion on the nuanced realm of AI. As leaders in our respective industries, your insights would be invaluable in exploring the multifaceted dimensions of AI, encompassing both its remarkable benefits and inherent risks.


Key areas for debate:


Ethical Considerations: Delve into the ethical implications surrounding AI adoption, discussing responsible AI development and deployment.


Innovation vs. Risk Mitigation: Explore the delicate balance between fostering innovation through AI and mitigating potential risks, ensuring a comprehensive approach.


Data Security and Privacy: Examine the evolving landscape of data security and privacy concerns associated with AI technologies, seeking strategies for safeguarding sensitive information.


Workforce Transformation: Discuss the impact of AI on the workforce, including potential job displacement, upskilling initiatives, and the role of AI in reshaping job functions.


Regulatory Frameworks: Navigate the evolving regulatory environment for AI, addressing the need for standardised guidelines that foster responsible AI practices.


The roundtable will provide a unique platform for an open exchange of ideas, allowing us to collectively shape a forward-looking perspective on AI. Your participation would contribute significantly to the richness of this discourse.

Please note that this event is limited to senior-level executives and per invitation only. If you are not an existing member of The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, but would like to learn how you can attend our events, please contact us.

Speakers

  • Dr Scott Nowson (AI expert)

    Dr Scott Nowson

    AI expert

    Since completing his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in Natural Language Processing (NLP), Scott has spent 15 years working in Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Analytics and Data Science.
    Until recently the Artificial Intelligence Lead at PwC Middle East, he has published over 20 papers and filed several patents on topics including sentiment and emotion recognition, novel techniques in deep learning, and user profiling.

    He joined PwC in early 2019 from The Dock, Accenture’s global, multidisciplinary innovation hub, where he led the injection of AI and emerging technologies into the client co-creation experience.
    Scott's work has always been industry and use case agnostic; he has delivered multiple projects applying AI in both Front- and Back-Office applications for clients in Financial Services, Government and Public Sector, Utilities and Resources, and Telecommunications, among many others.
    He believes in leveraging the right technology to solve the most impactful problems that his clients face.

    view more
  • Paul Hamilton (Managing Director of Ibtikar)

    Paul Hamilton

    Managing Director of Ibtikar

    Managing Director of Ibtikar, Paul has been designing, building and leading strategic innovation for over 30 years as a regional and global leader with consultancies including Kearney, Booz Allen and PA Consulting and creative agency Ogilvy.

    He has also launched a number of innovative businesses himself, including an online language school (2001), a Brazilian craft beer (2004), and a VR events company (2020) during the pandemic.

    Ibtikar - one of the first companies in the new AI & Web3 Campus at DIFC - is a specialist strategic innovation advisory firm for the next generation digital x physical world. Ibtikar supports senior leaders across MENA to develop innovation capability with exponential technologies: AI, Web3 and spatial computing.

    view more
  • Robert Willock (Director MENA & Regional General Manager of EICN)

    Robert Willock

    Director MENA & Regional General Manager of EICN

    Robert is the Director of the Economist Corporate Network based in Dubai and covering the MENA region. Robert works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.

    Robert is a business journalist, editor and publisher with 25 years of experience covering a wide variety of sectors, including hospitality, retail, construction, energy and transport, and a particular interest in human capital management.

    He is an accomplished event chairman, moderator and speaker.

    Robert completed an MBA at the University of Leicester School of Business in 2012 and holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham.

    view more
  • Nur Aitzhan (Director of AI at Bupa)

    Nur Aitzhan

    Director of AI at Bupa

    Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning expert, with a proven record of 13 years of successful execution and implementation of multimillion dollar projects within AI, ML, Data Science and Big Data for Tier 1 clients across North America, EMEA and APAC regions. Providing strategic and management top-down approach for building data-driven organizations, Nur supports it with his bottom-up solid technical experience, proven by successful delivery of large-scale projects across insurance, healthcare, telco, government, financial, retail and entertainment industries.

    Currently Nur spearheads Bupa’s initiative of transforming it into data driven organization as a Director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Previously, Nur was an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning senior consultant at FTI Consulting and Artificial Intelligence and Data Science consultant at Accenture, where served large scale S&P 500 clients such as JP Morgan, Verizon, and Government Sector, STC, Etisalat, etc. Prior to Accenture, Nur conducted scientific research at joint Masdar and MIT Technology Development Institute, where he was focused on application of Machine Learning, Game Theory and Blockchain in Energy and Utilities sector. Nur also worked for Amdocs in multiple projects in North America as a Data Analytics SME.

    view more