ABU DHABI, 21st July, 2022 (WAM) — The Emirates News Agency, WAM, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), with the aim of enhancing joint cooperation between the two sides in the media and artificial intelligence sectors through the exchange of knowledge, experiences and training.
The agreement was signed by Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director-General of WAM, and Sultan Al Hajji, Vice President for Public Affairs and Alumni Relations at MBZUAI, at the Agency’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The partnership agreement stipulates that MBZUAI will be the strategic academic sponsor of the Global Media Congress, which is organised by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company – ADNEC, in partnership with WAM, at ADNEC Centre from 15th to 17th November, 2022. The University will also allocate a number of seats in its executive programme for WAM employees, with the aim of supporting the Agency’s efforts to benefit from the positive impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance its effectiveness and productivity.
In addition, MBZUAI will provide its advisory services to the Agency within the framework of establishing an AI laboratory. Through the laboratory, WAM will develop and harness AI applications to support innovation in the media field.
Al Rayssi highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership with MBZUAI, pointing out that AI has become an essential pillar for sustainable growth across all sectors, adding that this cooperation will contribute to launching promising programmes in service of joint cooperation between the two sides.
“This agreement contributes greatly to the development of the media sector in the country, as MBZUAI ‘s sponsorship of the Global Media Congress, which is organised by ADNEC, in partnership with the Emirates News Agency, highlights the pivotal role played by the university in the future vision of the media sector in the UAE, in addition to spreading knowledge and providing promising opportunities for young people,” he said.
For his part, Professor Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, commented, “Artificial intelligence will contribute to the advent of a qualitative leap across various sectors, including media, as the applications of computer vision and natural language processing will represent the main driver of this development – the two main areas of research at the university.”
“We are proud of our partnership with the Emirates News Agency, the leading institution that constantly seeks to raise national standards for media in the UAE. Through this partnership, we will work to provide our scientific expertise, as we look forward to supporting the Agency’s efforts during the events of the Global Media Congress.”
The Global Media Congress, whose first edition revolves around digital communication, aims to enhance interdependence between various parties in the global media sector, through a qualitative platform that contributes to providing a forum that brings together different cultures and international companies operating in the media sector.
The Congress activities will witness the establishment of an exhibition and conference at ADNEC, characterised by an ambitious programme that allows various media organisations to explore potential partnerships and cooperation agreements. It will also discuss a number of main topics, most notably digital communication, the impact of AI on contemporary media, and the integration of advanced technologies and innovation in the media sector.
In his statement to WAM, Sultan Al Hajji, Vice President for Public Affairs and Alumni Relations at MBZUAI, said that this agreement constitutes an important step that allows joint cooperation between WAM and MBZUAI, with the aim of building capabilities in the fields of data, AI and media by participating in projects and training programmes, stressing that the agreement enhances work on developing methodologies and mechanisms for data exchange, as well as holding workshops in the field of data science and AI applications for the benefit of the two parties and the exchange of university students’ experiences in preparing research in the field of media.
Al Hajji expressed his pride at choosing MBZUAI as a major sponsor of the Global Media Congress, as well as working together in building an artificial intelligence-based system to foresee a developed and sustainable future for the media sector in the region and the world. He noted that the university provides scientific research aimed at providing specialised programmes in the field of AI, in addition to supporting the process of scientific research and development, knowledge creation, transfer and use of AI through the provision of scientific degrees, master’s and doctoral degrees, which will contribute to supporting students to reach the required intellectual level in a modern and distinguished environment.
He affirmed that the university seeks to empower a new generation of AI leaders through exceptional education and a unique model of academic cadres, noting that the university also offers students a range of graduate programmes, with a focus on the core disciplines of AI, mainly computer vision, machine learning, and natural language processing.