Why Will.i.am Is Bigging Up Dubai

How Will.i.am is bringing A.I. to UAE

Will.i.Am told our readers in the November 2019 cover story for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that he believes the possibility of millennials losing jobs to A.I. could be salvaged if systems are built correctly and humans aren’t left out in the operations of A.I., if people are still kept in the loop.

“If there’s one field to have a complete STEM degree or understanding and environment, it would be robotics. Being part of the conversation around STEM is what really matters right now. It’s 2019, and the world is about to be reshaped.”, he told Harper’s Editor-in-Chief Salma Awwad.

Among the many projects he’s headlining to bring this message to the Middle East, probably the one generating most buzz is becoming the face of Expo 2020 in Dubai. In addition to attending the World Government Summit in Dubai, he’s also been on the board of FIRST Global for three consecutive years. On 24 October this year, he streamlined the First Robotics programme for kids at FIRST Global’s event that was opened by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. 

Will’s partnerships and collaborations in the field include organisations such as Intel, Apple and, most recently, Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim. His company, i.am+, built a natural-understanding A.I. system and his work with Majid Al Futtaim includes helping conversationalise their services.

Click here to read the full interview.