Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has appointed Professor Dr. Eric Xing as its new president, succeeding Interim President Professor Sir Michael Brady. Dr. Xing joins from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was Associate Department Head of Research at the Machine Learning Department. He is a globally recognized AI academic and will lead MBZUAI in developing AI and AI solutions as the first graduate student cohort commences studies. Why it matters: This appointment signals MBZUAI's commitment to attracting top global talent and advancing its mission as a leading AI research institution in the UAE.
Sir Michael Brady, professor at Oxford and MBZUAI, argues that AI in healthcare must move beyond pattern recognition to causal understanding. He states that clinicians require AI models to articulate their reasoning behind diagnoses and therapy recommendations, not just provide statistical scores. He believes AI's immediate impact will be in personalized medicine, tailoring treatments to the individual rather than relying on epidemiological averages. Why it matters: This perspective highlights the critical need for explainable AI in sensitive domains like healthcare, paving the way for more trustworthy and clinically relevant AI applications in the region.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UAE, Lody Embrechts, met with MBZUAI's Interim President Michael Brady and Provost Ling Shao. They discussed promoting further collaboration between the UAE and the Netherlands on AI innovation. MBZUAI is partnering with G42, Cerebras, and India’s C-DAC to advance AI research. Why it matters: International collaborations like this are crucial for fostering innovation and developing a robust AI ecosystem in the UAE.
MBZUAI board member Sir Michael Brady and Weizmann Institute's Shimon Ullman lectured in the fourth module of MBZUAI’s Executive Program on December 11. Brady led a session on 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Image Analysis,' while Ullman presented on ‘AI and Human Intelligence: Lessons From Computer Vision.’ The 12-week Executive Program aims to educate high-level decision makers in AI, supporting the UAE's AI leadership mission. Why it matters: Showcases MBZUAI's commitment to attracting top global talent and fostering AI education for leadership in the UAE.