World Economic Forum 2024: UAE Education Minister Emphasizes AI's Role In Education Transformation

Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, minister of education of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), put a spotlight on the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the education sector as he participated in the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Al Falasi spoke on Wednesday during a panel discussion titled "Revolutionising Education: An AI Tutor for Every Student and Beyond," featuring Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith and ASI CEO Quddus Pativada.

The session underlined the UAE's pioneering initiative of integrating AI into the education system to help students acquire skills that will help them in the future. It also emphasized the benefits governments and institutions can enjoy by leveraging AI.

In his talk, Al Falasi encouraged ministries of education and decision-makers across the world to integrate AI applications within the educational sector to keep the system aligned with technological developments and upskill students as per their aspirations through the UAE-based AI Tutor platform.

AI Tutor is a platform that allows customized learning for each student individually, depending on their specific requirements.

Moreover, there are bilingual options available, so students can choose whether they want to learn in English or Arabic. AI Tutor can support various subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry and English.

"The UAE, recognized as a global innovation hub and holding advanced rankings in various global competitiveness indices, is committed to investing in future technologies to sustain and bolster its prominent position," Al Falasi said, according to WAM.

"This proactive approach involves a thorough exploration, study and analysis of the capabilities presented by AI to significantly improve the educational sector. The aim is to take pre-emptive measures that prepare students to excel in the future job market, aligning with the Union's aspirations outlined by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the current year," he added.

The minister also took part in various key sessions of the World Economic Forum, including "A New Public-Private Agenda for Education" and "Meeting of the Reskilling Revolution Champions."

The forum, which opened on Monday and will run until Friday, is an invitation-only event during which heads of national companies and corporate leaders, leading private sector firms, government officials and senior business leaders come together.