Author: Art Ryan

Uzbekistan does not seem interested in choosing one side of the global AI race. The Central Asian country wants closer technology ties with both the United States and China. That position is becoming harder to maintain as Washington and Beijing build competing AI alliances. Uzbekistan has formally asked to join Pax Silica, the US-led initiative focused on AI and technology supply chains. The request comes only a month after Tashkent joined China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). That puts Uzbekistan in an interesting position. Washington increasingly wants trusted AI partners to stay away from China’s competing framework. Tashkent has…

Japan has a new kind of school, and the students are humanoid robots. A group of five Japanese companies has opened a facility near Tokyo to train robots using physical AI. The technology allows AI systems to control machines and respond to changes in the real world. The facility is located in Chiba Prefecture, where media representatives recently watched workers train AI-powered humanoid robots. The goal is practical: develop machines that can eventually work on assembly lines and help ease labor shortages. Five Japanese Companies Are Sharing the Experiment The project brings together five companies from different industries, including an…

Artificial intelligence is no longer sitting on the edge of travel planning. It is already part of how many Americans choose destinations, compare hotels, find routes, and manage trips. A new Amadeus report found that 85% of US travelers believe AI saves them time. They also say it can deliver more personalized recommendations. Around 74% have already used AI while planning a trip. The numbers show strong adoption. They also reveal something else. Travelers like AI when it helps. They become much more cautious when it starts making decisions for them. AI Is Already Part of Trip Planning Nearly three-quarters…

AI travel agents are moving beyond trip ideas and recommendations. Atlas has released an open-source flight booking Skill designed for AI agents. It gives compatible agents access to flight search, live pricing, availability checks, and booking functions. Developers can use the technology without building every flight integration themselves. The bigger shift is fairly simple. AI can already help someone decide where to travel. Now, companies want it to help complete the trip as well. AI Agents Can Move Beyond Flight Recommendations AI travel assistants are already good at understanding basic trip requests. Travelers can give them destinations, dates, budgets, and…

Banks have a surprisingly expensive problem. They need enough cash inside ATMs without leaving too much money sitting idle. Artificial intelligence is making that calculation far more precise. Banks and ATM operators are now using AI to forecast cash demand at individual machines. These systems study withdrawal patterns, paydays, holidays, local events, and seasonal changes. The goal is simple. Put the right amount of cash in the right ATM at the right time. The potential savings are substantial. Brink’s says better forecasting can reduce total cash demand across an ATM network by 30% to 40%. AI is also being used…

The UAE’s push to bring artificial intelligence deeper into government is getting another academic-industry partnership. The recent RIT Dubai Palmira AI partnership exemplifies this growing trend of collaboration in the region. Rochester Institute of Technology of Dubai (RIT Dubai) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Palmira Software House LLC. The two organizations will work together on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and smart government projects. This isn’t limited to research papers or classroom work. The partnership is designed around practical projects that could reach government and private-sector organizations. Students will also get opportunities to work directly with industry. RIT Dubai…

Searching for a home in the UAE is starting to look less like filling out a form. Bayut has launched AI Search, a conversational property search feature for buyers, renters, and investors. Instead of clicking through several filters, users can simply describe the home they want. Someone could ask for a two-bedroom apartment in Dubai Marina with a sea view. They could add a budget, then change their requirements in the next prompt. The search evolves with the conversation. Bayut says it is the first UAE property portal to offer this type of natural-language home search. The feature is now…

Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into the UAE legal sector. This time, it is not about testing another chatbot. Law firms are starting to use AI as part of everyday legal work. The technology can review contracts, search old case files, and flag potential legal risks. It can also help lawyers work across the UAE’s complex regulatory landscape. The shift has happened quickly. Dmitry Grinik, founder and CEO of Legaline Platform, says AI adoption has changed over the past three to six months. Many UAE law firms and consulting practices are moving from experiments to operational use. AI in UAE…

Saudi Arabia wants Riyadh to compete with the world’s biggest technology hubs. Its latest move puts artificial intelligence right at the center of that plan. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has launched the Riyadh Digital Innovation District. The project aims to attract global technology companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and specialist talent. AI will be one of its biggest priorities. Cybersecurity, cloud computing, blockchain, robotics, drones, and the Internet of Things will also have a place in the district. The ambition isn’t modest. Riyadh wants to become one of the world’s top 10 technology hubs. Riyadh Wants a Bigger Place…

Qatar is bringing artificial intelligence deeper into the classroom. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has announced curriculum changes for the 2026-2027 academic year. AI, data science, entrepreneurship, economics, and practical skills are getting more attention. The changes will affect students across different school stages. This is not just about teaching students how to use an AI chatbot. Qatar wants students to understand technology, question its output, and prepare for a changing labour market. Critical thinking remains part of the plan. The move also puts Qatar alongside other Gulf states pushing AI education earlier into school life. AI Is…

Telecom operators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are starting to look at AI differently. For years, the conversation centered on building networks capable of handling more data. AI was another workload those networks needed to support. Now, operators increasingly see artificial intelligence as something they can sell. A new Ciena survey shows just how strong that expectation has become. In the UAE, 96% of surveyed service providers expect AI-driven network services to generate new revenue. The figure reaches 90% in Saudi Arabia. Both groups expect that opportunity to grow over the next three to five years. The Gulf’s AI…

Salesforce is getting something investors have been waiting for: clearer signs that its AI push is turning into revenue. The company raised its fiscal 2027 sales forecast after reporting stronger demand for Agentforce and Data 360. These are central pieces of Salesforce’s artificial intelligence strategy. Salesforce now expects full-year revenue of $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion. Its previous forecast stood at $45.9 billion to $46.2 billion. The reaction came quickly. Salesforce shares rose about 7% in extended trading after the announcement. For a company facing questions about whether AI could disrupt traditional software, the quarter delivered a different message. Salesforce…

Lam Research is putting another major piece of infrastructure behind the AI chip boom. The new Lam Research Oregon AI chip lab represents a significant step for the company in advancing chip technology. The semiconductor equipment company has broken ground on a new research and development lab in Tualatin, Oregon. The facility will support work on advanced chips used for AI and high-performance computing. It is also the first major milestone in Lam’s planned $3 billion-plus expansion of its global lab network. The timing makes sense. AI chips are becoming more complex. Memory demand is rising. Advanced packaging is moving…

Saudi Arabia is preparing for another huge technology gathering. LEAP 2026 returns to Riyadh from August 31 to September 3, 2026. The event brings global technology companies, startups, investors, policymakers, and developers together in one place. Artificial intelligence will be a major part of the conversation. LEAP has grown well beyond the usual conference format. It has become a showcase for Saudi Arabia’s expanding digital economy. Cloud computing, cybersecurity, fintech, gaming, enterprise technology, and AI all sit inside the wider program. This year’s theme is “Into New Worlds.” And AI is increasingly one of those worlds. LEAP 2026 Runs From…

Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN is taking its Arabic AI models into Microsoft’s enterprise ecosystem. The two companies announced the first milestone in a long-term strategic collaboration on August 26. The plan centers on bringing HUMAIN’s ALLAM Arabic-language models to Microsoft Foundry. Microsoft 365 Copilot is part of the roadmap too. There is an important distinction, though. ALLAM isn’t being announced as generally available on those platforms today. HUMAIN and Microsoft say they intend to make the models available. No public launch date or pricing was included in the announcement. The bigger story is what happens if that integration lands. Arabic-focused AI…

Oman has a new sovereign AI platform, and the pitch is refreshingly practical. Omantel technology subsidiary Otech and Omani AI startup DeepAstra have launched the DeepAstra API. The locally hosted service gives organizations access to multiple AI models through one interface. Users can test different models without building separate infrastructure for each one. There is another important piece: the data stays local. The platform is designed around security, governance, compliance, and greater control over AI deployments. For smaller companies, that could remove a stubborn barrier. Building AI infrastructure is expensive. Renting access to it as needed is considerably easier. One…

The Sharjah conglomerate has launched DIWAN, its own private, group-wide AI assistant, now live for employees across the Group and delivered with technology partner Magure. DIWAN runs on a privately deployed model within the Group’s own cloud environment, designed so that sensitive data stays inside the Group’s infrastructure. Sharjah and Dubai, UAE August 26, 2026. Bukhatir Group, one of the UAE’s oldest and most diversified business houses, and Magure, a UAE-headquartered enterprise AI company, today announced a strategic partnership to embed AI across the Group’s businesses, beginning with a milestone already achieved: DIWAN, a secure enterprise AI assistant, is now…

The free eight-week online program, delivered by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, helps businesses turn early-stage ideas into actionable R&D plans while building connections with expert facilitators and researchers. Offered through the Queensland Government-funded Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC) program, Innovate to Grow connects businesses with experienced researchers and industry mentors at the state’s regional universities. Dr George Feast, CSIRO’s Executive Manager for Industry-Research Collaboration, said the program helped SMEs make confident, informed decisions about their research. “Many businesses want to invest in R&D but aren’t sure where to start, or whether an idea is worth pursuing,” Dr Feast said.…

Faria Education Group is pushing deeper into artificial intelligence with a new acquisition aimed directly at school data. The education technology company has acquired Edu Intelligence, an AI-native analytics platform built for schools. The deal adds a new data and analytics layer to Faria’s growing product ecosystem. The attraction is fairly easy to see. Schools already collect huge amounts of information, but that data often sits in separate systems. Edu Intelligence is designed to make those records easier to question and understand. School leaders can ask questions in plain English. The platform then returns evidence-based answers without requiring complex dashboards…

The enterprise AI conversation is changing. For the past few years, companies rushed to launch pilots, test generative AI tools, and talk about transformation. Now executives are facing a less exciting question: what is actually working? That tension sits at the center of Momentum AI Austin 2026. Reuters Events has released the summit’s full C-suite agenda and confirmed its premier sponsors. The event is scheduled for September 24–25 at the JW Marriott Austin. More than 500 senior executives are expected to attend. Over 70% of the audience will represent enterprise decision-makers. The focus is not another round of AI demos.…