Dubai: Contrary to popular belief, a growing reliance on artificial intelligence in the future could create more job opportunities in the Gulf, according to experts.
The GCC needs to create 300,000 jobs annually to reduce unemployment, which is up to 35 per cent in some GCC countries. Nearly half of the Gulf's 35 million people are under the age of 25, many of whom will enter the job market in the next few years.
Artificial Intelligence involves agent-based systems, which are computer systems comprised of several autonomous, intelligent, communicating systems, according to experts.
The range of practical applications of multi-agent systems include automated trading in electronic markets, robotic football, distributed sensor networks, grid computing and intelligent workflow scheduling.
Using these systems requires knowledge engineers, according to Joachim Diedrich, a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Queensland, Australia.
"For decades now, there has been a misconception that artificial intelligence will replace human resource," said Diedrich. "Rather, it is a job creator," he added.
There are new job descriptions that are created as a requirement for using artificial intelligence.
"I see this as a positive opportunity. We should be optimistic about the availability of new jobs through the development of artificial intelligence," said Diedrich.
Artificial intelligence is "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions which maximises its chances of success.
It can engage in behaviors that humans consider intelligent, such as reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, and perception.
Artificial intelligence has always been an intriguing subject, yet always associated with morbid thoughts of machines taking over our jobs. Experts say that in the future, the region's business will come to depend on it. What we don't know is that artificial intelligence is already being used in some public sectors.
From predicting weather to stock market, artificial intelligence is used to enhance intelligence. It helps with risk analysis for natural disasters and even with the outcome of FIFA World Cup. "I don't think the industry will come to depend on artificial intelligence," said Diedrich.
It is merely enhancements, experts say.
"The use of artificial intelligence is not public knowledge, we don't know how or where it is being used in the region," said Diedrich.
"Financial market predictions are certainly not published," he added, explaining the unawareness.
