Media Coverage Archives — Carrington Malin

    June 10, 2025
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    Changes to US export controls on AI chips

    The Trump administration has reversed US policy on export controls for advanced AI processors, although details have yet to be finalised.

    Arabian Gulf Business Intelligence (AGBI) asked me to comment on the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership announced during the UAE visit of President Trump.

    The United Arab Emirates and the United States announced during Trump’s visit that they will establish a regional artificial intelligence technology cluster in Abu Dhabi, together with a 5 Gigawatt (GW) capacity data centre,

    The change in US policy is an about turn, with the Trump administration working to find ways to facilitate US AI exports and maintain its technology leadership, rather than restrict the flow of US advanced technology as seemed to be the focus for President Biden’s administration.

    Read the full story on Arabian Gulf Business Intelligence here.

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    June 8, 2025
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    Will AI reduce our working hours?

    As AI continues to enable smarter tasks, change processes and make work more efficient, the technology industry narrative remains that AI will make our lives easier and more hassle free. However, will AI ever actually allow us to work less?

    I was one of a few professionals asked about AI’s impact on work and working hours by Fast Company Middle East recently. As a marketer and a content producer, I use Generative AI day-to-day for research, planning, writing drafts, editing, formatting HTML, image and video editing, content production and other things. Although GenAI saves me time per task, it also enables me to do more and different tasks, so I’m still working as hard as ever.

    Technology has always worked this way.

    Until the arrival of the desktop computer and word processing software, offices used typewriters to produce correspondence, reports and other documents. Being rather unforgiving when it came to mistakes, typewriters were normally used by typists and secretaries who had good typing skills and would make few mistakes. Due to difficulty of use, limited formats and a limited number of typists, correspondence and paper reports were also limited.

    With the arrival of personal computers with word processing packages and desktop printers, creating documents was made faster and easier. They made a laborious process so easy that anyone could do it, because typing mistakes were easy to correct. They also made it easier to create different print layouts and print on different sizes of paper.

    PCs and word processors saved time in preparing documents and, in theory, saved paper because typing mistakes could be fixed before printing.. But what happened? Word processing allowed us to create a greater variety of documents more easily, which led to an increased demand for them. The amount of paper wasted on inter-office memos during the 80s and 90s just doesn’t bear thinking about! Rather than reduce the amount of time spent by office workers in creating documents, time spent n typing went up exponentially.

    There are parallels between the arrival of the PC and the arrival of GenAI. It’s become a competitive advantage, because GenAI can help fast-track some kinds of task, but I feel very few of us are going to have more time to put our feet up as a result.

    You can read May El Habachi’s full article in Fast Company Middle East here:

     

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    April 8, 2025
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    Are claims of ‘fully-fledged AI employees’ to be believed?

    There are a growing number of companies marketing so-called AI employees, some promising customers the opportunity to reduce their headcount as a result. Are such claims to be believed?

    In my view the term  ‘AI employees’ is pure marketing. but today’s corporate AI agents do offer a glimpse of the huge potential impact of combining conversational AI with agentic platforms.

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me to comment on the apparent wave of AI employees, how much of the current marketing of AI employees is hype and where the AI employee concept is taking us.

    The arrival of the first early versions of ‘AI employees’ is just the first step on a new journey of innovation that will change the way we automate work. We’ve been used to automating work by using software platforms, which often requires a deep knowledge of the software and complex configuration by a domain-specific expert. AI employees are being developed to allow us to use a conversational interface to perform complex tasks.

    When you impose a new technology solution on human customers or employees, the outcomes aren’t always easy to predict.

    However, when you impose a new technology solution on human customers or employees, the outcomes aren’t always easy to predict. Every company wants to automate more and become more efficient, but no one wants to
    implement a new system that will deter buyers or lose customers. And that’s the equation that every business will need to solve for themselves: cost savings and new business opportunities, versus lost business and lost opportunities. The rate of adoption of these new concept AI employees will depend largely on human factors.

    You can read UAE-based journalist Chris Hamill-Stewart‘s full story in AGBI here.

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    November 28, 2024
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    New China Telecom subsidiary in Saudi Arabia brings AI, 5G

    China Telecom opens new China Telecom Gulf subsidiary in Riyadh, building on its partnership with STC and bringing its strengths in 5G, Cloud and artificial intelligence to the kingdom.

    Last week China Telecom launched its new subsidiary in Riyadh, following the signing of a strategic partnership with Saudi telecom operator STC earlier this year. This is by no means a first – or even early step – by China Telecom, but builds on many years of business with GCC telecom operators.

    I was delighted to be asked by UAE’s The National to comment on China Telecom’s expansion, a move which bodes well for the 5G ecosystem and promises to introduce more 5G, AI and IoT technology.

    Like most telecom operators, the group is investing heavily in developing AI, IoT and 5G solutions and services to drive more revenue from subscribers – this is the focus of the partnership agreement with STC. Unlike many telcos China Telecom has hundreds of millions of subscribers and so has a unique perspective on future opportunities in the telecom space and has the means to test new technologies on a huge scale.

    Without doubt, China Telecom’s new operation in Saudi Arabia is another step forward for the group’s business in the Middle East and an opportunity to accelerate collaboration with STC. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of other big announcements from China Telecom about Saudi Arabia in the near future..

    I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of other big announcements from China Telecom about Saudi Arabia in the near future.

    China Telecom’s opening of a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia definitely also has a political dimension. China is keen on being a strategic technology partner for the GCC and its bilateral relations with Gulf countries have accelerated over the past decade and so has the science and technology focus of these ties. 5G, Big Data and AI were areas of discussion both during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the UAE in 2018 and his visit to Saudi Arabia in 2022. However, there are also potential political issues: mainly related to U.S. concerns about Chinese technology and communications companies.

    As with many big Chinese ICT groups, the US government continues to investigate potential risks posed by China Telecom and how it handles American data. However, the reasons behind this are not lost on the region’s policymakers nor on the telecom companies. Gulf telecom firms are also highly security conscious, so I believe that any significant political fallout is an unlikely result from this new Saudi investment.

    You can read Alvin Cabral’s full article in The National here:

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    April 26, 2024
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    The growing need for Middle East AI regulation and governance

    The Middle East region has limited oversight and no real regulation for AI, however the technology’s influence is growing fast is already having a growing impact in recruitment, HR, banking, healthcare and security.

    The fast-growing role of artificial intelligence is creating a growing need for Middle East AI regulation and governance. The influence of AI technologies is growing fast and can already impact who gets a job, who is eligible for a loan, and even what kind of medical treatment a patient receives.

    MIT Sloan Management Review Middle East asked me to comment on the region’s AI policymaking related to ethics and governance, and also how businesses in the region are dealing with these issues.

    Ethics, governance and responsible AI has definitely been added to government agendas during the past few years, as countries in the Middle East strive to embrace AI effectively and take their place in the global AI ecosystem. As a result, there are an increasing number of guidelines and policy frameworks developed by government departments, regulators, and public authorities in the region.

    The Middle East is certainly watching the progress of the EU AI Act, and we expect to see AI regulation come into the Middle East. I think, as with the GDPR Act, it inspired more data protection laws worldwide and continues to do so. And so, that’s a role that the EU AI Act might play.

    The question is when will AI governance policies make it into legislation. The recent passing of the EU AI Act may prompt some countries to being introducing legislation, but the truth is that no one really knows when the EU AI Act will come into effect and what revisions may be made before that happens.

    However, in my view – due to the speed at which AI is accelerating, the sheer volume of use cases and its far-reaching impact – sitting back and waiting for government regulation should not be an option. Organisations, individuals and tech firms can help ensure a better AI future today, by embracing best practices for ethics and governance, and choosing products and services that make a commitment to the ethical, responsible and transparent use of AI.

    You can read May El Habachi’s full article in MIT Sloan Management Review here:

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    March 9, 2024
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    Saudi Arabia’s ambitious AI goals

    Exploring Saudi Arabia’s ambitious leap into the domain of artificial intelligence

    Saudi Arabia’s ambitious AI goals have raised eyebrows at times during the past few years. Some were just not prepared to believe that a country with virtually no AI development, few coders or data scientists, and a technology ecosystem that consisted mostly of sales, marketing and distribution could cut it as an AI hub, on any level.

    Undeterred, the country has methodically implemented, improved and developed its National Strategy for Data and AI, investing strategically in digital transformation, upskilling digital talent, backing R&D and incentivising technology entrepreneurs and leading tech companies to come to Saudi Arabia. Just three years later it’s already apparent that the Kingdom is moving mountains to achieve its AI goals and now stands at the dawn of a new era.

    I was proud to be asked to comment on Saudi Arabia’s meteoric progress in the official magazine for LEAP 2024, which took place this month.

    Saudi Arabia intends to be a world leader in AI and obviously has the ability to use oil revenues to invest heavily where needed. So, the biggest immediate challenges are the right skilled talent and regulatory policy that impacts AI. The Kingdom has surprised doubters by moving fast and purposely to meet both of these challenges. The speed and scale of the education and training programmes introduced so far across the country as been breathtaking.

    While many governments around the world have lagged in implementing AI compared to the private sector, the Saudi government has led the charge.

    The early outcomes of Saudi Arabia’s strategy, commitment and investment were plain to see at this year’s LEAP event in Riyadh. Attended by tech luminaries such as IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky, ServiceNow chairman and CEO Bill McDermott, Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm and UiPath CEO Rob Enslin, the event saw more than $13 billion of new tech investments announced.

    The government’s commitment to AI R&D, AI skills and AI adoption was clearly visible, illustrated by backing its Riyadh-based Generative AI startup accelerator with $1 billion. However, there was also proof of local AI development, with Saudi Aramco announcing a 250 billion parameter industrial grade large language model, while local tech firm Matad revealed an Arabic language LLM developed entirely in the Kingdom using Saudi data.

    One of the most powerful takeaways from LEAP 2024 was a comment from Jonathan Ross, the Founder and CEO of AI chip developer Groq, trying to make sense of Saudi Arabia’s massive investment in digital infrastructure:

    “We started Groq in Silicon Valley because there was opportunity, but AI runs on compute and as you deploy this compute [in Saudi Arabia] I think this could be the place where the opportunity is going forward.”

    I can only agree!

    You can read Megha Merani‘s ‘The dawn of a new era’ feature, quoting me in in LEAP Magazine here (PDF).

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    February 9, 2024
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    Saudi appoints ex-Dell exec to lead Alat

    Saudi Arabia appoints ex-Dell Technologies executive to lead the new $100 billion electronics manufacturing group Alat, formed recently by Public Investment Fund (PIF).

    In February, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the formation of an advanced technologies, electronics and semiconductor manufacturer.

    Called Alat (‘machines’ in Arabic), the new company will focus on manufacturing smart products for consumers, business and industry. The company will manufacture to serve local and international markets, and will help to make Saudi Arabia a global hub for sustainable technology manufacturing.

    Business computers and consumer electronics spring to mind when many people think of electronics and semiconductor sector, but of course every industrial sector today uses such technology from aviation to automobiles, and from healthcare to oil production.

    Saudi Arabia’s investment in AI and IoT for smart cities is driving demand for millions of microprocessors and controllers.

    One big user of electronics and semiconductor products in Saudi Arabia is its fast growing smart cities sector. The government agreed a smart city strategy a few years ago, to improve the quality of life of citizens, achieving financial sustainability, and improving the quality of services. The new magacity NEOM is well known as a smart city project, or ‘cognitive city’. However, the smart city strategy includes all major cities in Saudi Arabia. Thus cities across the Kingdom are being equipped with sensors, IoT devices and smart controllers for transport management, building management, energy management, public safety and smart public services.

    The Circuit asked me to comment on the launch of Alat and the opportunity for the new company to capitalise on the country’s electronics and semiconductor needs. There is massive potential for the new Alat company in Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector, to include manufacturing and smart cities.

    Saudi Arabia’s investment in AI and IoT for smart cities is driving demand for millions of microprocessors and controllers. With both greenfield sites, including NEOM, and large-scale transformation plans for existing cities, such as Riyadh and Jeddah, there are significant opportunities for the country to manufacture smart electronics and reduce dependence on foreign imports.

    However, there are many challenges, among them the fact that the country doesn’t have much of an electronics ecosystem to build on. So, building out this new sector will require both a carefully planned ecosystem that will connect with other local, regional and global ecosystems over time, and cherry-picking the most productive, highest value short-term investments.

    You can read UAE Editor Kelsey Warner‘s full story in The Circuit here.

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    September 1, 2023
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    G42’s supercomputer fast-tracks 40 billion parameter LLM training

    G42 Group’s Inception, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and Cerebras Systems announced a 13 billion parameter bilingual Arabic-English large language model, trained in just 21 days.

    The supercomputer Condor Galaxy 1, developed by US-based AI chip maker Cerebras Systems, and announced just a few weeks ago was recently used to train a new 13 billion parameter bilingual Arabic-English large language model (or LLM) called Jais. It allowed researchers to compete the ‘production training’ of the new AI model in 21 day: a process that could have taken several months on alternative high performance computer systems.

    It’s common for LLMs to take months to train, but Jais was trained in just 21 days,”

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me to comment on the development and the promise of the Cerebras-G42 collaboration to build the world’s biggest supercomputer network.

    It’s actually a complex topic, because of the not only the speed of development of new artificial intelligence models and the AI-friendly high performance computer systems that run them, but also the rapid rise of Abu Dhabi’s AI R&D ecosystem. Abu Dhabi-based researchers have now developed a series of different LLM models, including Falcon 40B, which was ranked first on Hugging Face’s index of open source LLMs earlier this year.

    It is no wonder that G42 has decided to invest in the latest supercomputers to provide for the growing need of AI researchers. As a result of the expertised gained, both at home, and via collaborations such as the one with Cerebras Systems, Abu Dhabi technology organisations are gaining world-class capabilities that they could sell globally. The demand for both AI models and the computers that train them is only going to grow!

    You can read UAE-based journalist Megha Merani‘s full story in AGBI here.

    Meanwhile, you can read my article on Inception’s new Jais 13B LLM here:

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    August 29, 2023
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    Proving the value of Naval USVs

    There are powerful forces driving the Middle East’s unmanned systems sector, but perhaps the biggest catalyst for focusing the attention of the US Navy and that of its partners on integrating unmanned systems with naval operations so far has been 5th Fleet-based Task Force 59.

    Captain George Galdorisi, writing for the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) wrote about the Digital Horizon naval exercise, which took place in the Arabian Gulf last year. The exercise set out to trial and test the integration of unmanned systems, AI and big data analysis with traditional naval forces. He was kind enough to credit some of my analysis on Task Force 59’s activities, originally published in Middle East AI News.

    You can read Capt. George Galdorisi‘s full story in The Maritime Executive here.

    You can also read my original article on Task Force 59 here:

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    August 19, 2023
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    The Middle East is buying a lot of AI chips

    We are moving into a new era enabled by artificial intelligence, with both enormous potential and enormous risk. This makes AI and access to AI technologies a growing geopolitical issue.

    The Middle East is buying a lot of AI chips, but an FT news story, which came close to claiming that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are hoarding processors, stirred up some global controversy!

    The focus from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on computational research and development across government, national companies and academia, has resulted in an upswing in the demand for high performance computing power. For example, HP is currently building Shaheen III a 100 petaFLOP supercomputer for KAUST (King Abdulla University for Science and Technology). That system alone will use nearly 3,000 NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips.

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me to comment on the global availability of AI chips, the demands for high performance computing in the Middle East and whether AI chip supply and pricing could become as critical as the oil price. My answer: unequivocally, yes!

    The availability, pricing and geopolitics of access to AI chips may well start to look a lot like oil,”

    As the world relies on AI more and more. So access to high-end processors will become more and more critical. In that respect, the availability, pricing and geopolitics of access to AI chips may well start to look a lot like oil.

    You can read UAE-based journalist Megha Merani‘s full story in AGBI here.

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