Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have entered the race for the introduction of AI in the field of defense
By 2030, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates plan to develop military artificial intelligence technologies to a level that can help their economies reduce their dependence on oil sales. How the introduction of such technologies will affect the defense capabilities of the two states - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are betting on artificial intelligence (AI) in military technology. Back in October last year, Riyadh organized the Global AI Summit, which brought together stakeholders from the public, scientific and private sectors, including technology companies, investors, entrepreneurs and startups.
Both countries have adopted the Vision 2030 development strategy, which is based on data and artificial intelligence, to help both Saudi Arabia and the UAE move beyond the oil-based economy, said Jean-Marc Rickly, head of Global Risk and Sustainability at the Geneva Center for Security Policy.
According to Defense News analysts, the military of both countries will benefit from the focus on AI.
"In the armed forces, technology can increasingly become a surrogate for war. This allows smaller powers, as well as non-state actors, to use technology as a force multiplier in all dimensions of the battlefield and beyond, " said Jean-Marc Rickly.
Jean-Marc Rickly noted that the UAE is leading the development of AI in the Gulf countries. The EMIRATES became the first country to introduce the post of Minister of Artificial Intelligence and founded the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi.
One of the attempts to implement an AI strategy in the fall of last year was made by Saudi Arabia, which was to track data on COVID-19 to help the country take the necessary precautions.
Artificial intelligence is likely to have the strongest impact on countries ' financial sectors, but "it is in the areas of defense, intelligence, and counterterrorism that the use of AI is likely to grow the fastest," said Gulf State Analytics CEO Giorgio Cafiero.
Previously, none of the countries had the capacity or labor to invest in extensive research and development of expensive weapons programs, but new technologies can provide a niche for this, writes Defense News.
"Turkey has taken a niche in the UAV industry, producing drones (for example, the Kargu drone), which have semi-autonomous functions. Similarly, Israel has invested in this market (Harop and Harpy) in addition to air defense systems (Iron Dome) and cybersecurity. The UAE and Saudi Arabia seem to be following a similar path to occupy a similar niche in the defense market with new technologies, " Jean-Marc Rickly said.
The UAV demonstration took place at the UMEX (Unmanned Systems Exhibition) international exhibition, which was held in Abu Dhabi on February 23-25, 2020. The Garmousha is characterized by a high level of automation and modular design, which easily allows you to install and dismantle various types of payloads weighing up to 100 kg. The UAV, equipped with a diesel engine, can stay in the air for up to 6 hours, flight range - up to 150 km, maximum speed - 140 km/h.
And the state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries recently acquired Advanced Electronics Co., a step forward in developing its capabilities in the field of defense electronics. In addition, the deal is consistent with the directives of Saudi Vision 2030 to increase the production of defense products in the country, writes Defense News.
"Through the NSDAI (National Data and Artificial Intelligence Strategy), the Saudis aim to attract about $20 billion in investment both from abroad and from within the kingdom over the next nine years and train about 2,000 Saudis to become artificial intelligence specialists by 2030," said Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics.
According to Rickley, these two countries (the UAE and Saudi Arabia) continue to hire artificial intelligence specialists from the West and increasingly from China to meet labor needs. In addition, there is a chance for increased cooperation in the field of AI between the UAE and Israel, as the two states have established new diplomatic relations.
As previously reported, "the Newspaper.En", in the United States, artificial intelligence has been taken up for a long time. The success of Russia and China in the military sphere and in the development of defense technologies is perceived by the Americans as a challenge to their superiority, so now they are betting on high technology.
As you know, artificial intelligence is a machine system that can learn and use objective knowledge and experience, solve creative problems like the human brain and inventive tasks without going through options, build strategies and apply abstract concepts.
Such AI has yet to be created, but the technology is currently developing very quickly. Developers are motivated by large corporations, for which this is a way to gain competitive advantages and a new source of profits, and states, for which the development of artificial intelligence is an important aspect of national security and the preservation of sovereignty.
For example, the leadership of the People's Republic of China has repeatedly stated that China is going to become a world leader in artificial intelligence technologies and a major center of innovation by 2030, since Beijing needs scientific and technological leadership to maintain high rates of economic growth.
In the United States, the so-called "Third Compensation Strategy" has been adopted, the task of which is to introduce the most modern innovations in the military sphere and regain an overwhelming advantage over the PRC and Russia, which are declared competitors and opponents of the United States in the "National Security Strategy".
Such innovations in the field of defense include artificial intelligence, the interaction of machines and military personnel, the improvement of unmanned combat vehicles, robots and autonomous weapons, hypersound technology and directed energy, and plans to expand the interaction of the defense industry and the commercial sector of the economy.
Mikhail Khodarenok
