Gulf News, in partnership with Microsoft, will soon launch Future Now, a podcast series that aims to enlighten listeners on how technological innovations and advancements are improving our lives. From digital transformation and fintechs, to smart building solutions and innovations in assistive technology, the series will spotlight emerging trends and breakthroughs that are reshaping the world as we know it.
“We firmly believe that if harnessed in the right way, technology can be a real force for good, empowering everyone to achieve more,” says Ihsan Anabtawi, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Microsoft UAE and the host of the podcast series. “Sitting at the forefront of developing future technologies, we have a duty to ensure it works for everyone, not just a privileged few. In this respect, knowledge is power, and education becomes important: we can level the playing field only when we know how technologies can support us and how to handle them responsibly.”
As a 15-episode series, Future Now is an attempt to raise awareness of these key innovations and their potential to bring about positive change for everyone.
“When we look at technological progress over the years, the results speak for themselves,” explains Anabtawi. “The way we harness and share data and information has allowed us to make steady scientific and technological progress that has improved our lives in myriad ways. I am optimistic that technology will continue to empower us in this respect. Take for example the impact technology has had on accessibility: from features that assist visually impaired office workers to tools that allow students with neurodiversity issues to participate in the classroom fully, there are countless ways in which technology has significantly impacted lives. We believe there are no limits to what people can achieve when technology aids and reflects the diversity of everyone.”
The podcast series will open with Nada Taryam, Managing Director of Civil and Architectural Projects at Beeah, talking about the pivotal role of technology in developing sustainable buildings. Episode 2 will see Miguel Angel Villalonga, Vice President, Cloud & Data Center Solutions at e& enterprise, discuss Etisalat’s transformation from a telecommunications giant into a cutting-edge technology business. Olivier Crespin, Co-founder and CEO of UAE’s first fully digital bank, Zand, will share insights into the new age of banking in episode 3. And in episodes 4 and 5, Kursat Ceylan, Co-founder of WeWalk, takes us through his journey of developing the WeWalk smart cane designed to improve mobility for visually impaired people.
The Future Now series is agnc3 by Gulf News’ third podcast production, after MS Talks and Mind your Migraine in collaboration with Novartis. The series will be available on all major podcast channels and on Gulfnews.com/future-now
