Dubai airport upgrades travel experience and tech giants race for a slice of AI pie, Gulf News Editors comment on September 26 trending news

MAKING DUBAI TRAVEL A BREEZE: Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest and most modern airport, is set to enhance passenger experience further. The introduction of a new single-access biometric system by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs (GDRFA) - Dubai promises to streamline the journey from check-in to boarding at Terminal 3. Come November, passengers will be able to breeze through security without removing laptops, electronic items, or even water bottles, thanks to smart scanners. Despite handling approximately 37.2 million bags in the first half of 2023 and serving as the most connected airport in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, DXB prioritises delivering the best airport experience globally as it seeks to maintain its status as the world’s busiest, most efficient hub. (By Jay Hilotin, Senior Assistant Editor).

GENES AND THE PANDEMIC: What does it mean to have fragments of ancient DNA within us? Science is beginning to put the pieces together and starting to reveal how much it shapes us. Scientists have found that traits inherited from our ancient cousins are still within us, affecting our fertility and immune systems. In fact, it has also played a role in how we handled the COVID-19 virus. Who would have thought that interbreeding with Neanderthals 50,000 years ago would play a role in our survival today? (By Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor)

RACE TO TAP THE GENERATIVE AI MARKET: Amazon invested $4 billion in Anthropic, an AI safety and research company in San Francisco. Anthropic will shift most of its software operations to Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres, utilising AWS’s in-house chips to train its AI models. Anthropic will also receive a financial boost to cover the substantial expenses of training and maintaining large AI models. Founded by OpenAI veterans, Anthropic has raised over $1 billion in funding, focusing on creating safer chatbots for tasks such as summarisation, search, Q&A, and coding. Tech giants increasingly recognise AI’s potential and harness their extensive cloud computing resources. Even though these companies are set to reap the benefits, the reliance on AI, if not regulated, poses a significant threat to humankind. (By Nivetha Dayanand, Web Editor)

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS’ STRIKE TO END? It’s been nearly five months since Hollywood ground to a halt after writers and actors embarked on a strike, which seems to be nearing its end. A tentative deal has reportedly been reached between unionised screenwriters and the studios, streaming services, and production companies that employ them. If all goes well in hammering out an agreement regarding pay, show staff, and control of artificial intelligence in storytelling, everyone will return to work. Far too many shows and films have been stalled due to the writers’ strike, and it has been slim pickings in Hollywood content this season. So this is a welcome development. ((By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Entertainment Editor)

A CLEAR MESSAGE TO KEEP SPORT CLEAN: More than 200 athletes have been tested for performance-enhancing drugs during the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. The Olympic Council of Asia have promised to test almost every medal winner, and any athlete could be tested anytime. It shows their keenness to keep sport clean and weed out sportspersons who want to win at any cost. (By A.K.S. Satish, Sports Editor)