4,500 experts and enthusiasts converge in Dubai for ‘Machines Can See’ 2024

DUBAI: The second annual ‘Machines Can See’ Summit brought together over 4,500 leading researchers, innovators, and professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and computer vision (CV) both offline and online, held recently at Dubai’s iconic Museum of the Future.

The summit was honoured by the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence in the United Arab Emirates, and His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, who both delivered addresses.

The event facilitated meaningful discussions around the latest breakthroughs, trends, and real-world applications in generative AI, computer vision, AI investment, and education.

Alexander Khanin, CEO and Founder of Polynome Events FZE, the official organiser of the Machines Can See Summit, said, “We were delighted to bring the Machines Can See Summit back to Dubai for its second year and witness the incredible enthusiasm and talent that convened here. This summit has rapidly become a premier global stage for exploring the latest AI, machine learning, and computer vision breakthroughs that are reshaping industries and societies. Providing a forum for sharing visions of the future technological landscape reinforces Dubai’s position as an international hub fostering innovation. We look forward to the next Machines Can See Summit and the profound advancements it will catalyze.”

The Machines Can See 2024 Summit offered attendees a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge advancements and real-world applications of AI through two parallel tracks – scientific and business. Renowned researchers in the scientific track unveiled groundbreaking achievements in image generation, recognition, machine learning, and robotics. The business track hosted discussions on leveraging AI to streamline operations across various industries and enhance urban living.

A dedicated segment delved into the transformative potential of generative AI in creative fields. The business proceedings were moderated by Alexander Khanin, CEO and Founder of Polynome, and Aleksandar Linc-Djordjevic, Managing Director at Data Science Conference, while, Ivan Laptev, Professor at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), and Sergey Kolyubin, Research Director at Polynome, moderated the scientific track.

The key speakers at the Machines Can See 2024 Summit included Luc Julia (Renault Group), Andrew Jackson (Core42), Sergey Tulyakov (Snap), Tiago Henriques (Google Cloud), Shilpa Kolhatkar (NVIDIA), Heather Domin (IBM), Alon Halevy (AWS), Ali Farhadi (Allen Institute for AI), Yaser Sheikh (Meta Reality Labs), Irfan Essa (Georgia Tech), Pascal Fua (EPFL), Prof. Fahad Khan and Prof. Timothy Baldwin (both MBZUAI), Merouane Debbah (TII), and Laurens van der Maaten (Meta AI Research).

Keynote speakers illuminated the forefront of innovation, spanning generative AI, computer vision, multimodal models, video generation, photorealistic telepresence, and the critical dialogue around responsible and ethical AI development. Panelists engaged in thought-provoking discourse on the business impact of AI implementation across industries, investment opportunities in AI startups, and nurturing the next generation of AI talent. Moreover, a dedicated panel explored the pivotal role of women in shaping the artificial intelligence landscape.

Andrew Jackson, EVP, and Chief AI Officer at Core42, remarked, “Core42 is delighted to have supported the Machines Can See Summit, which represents a global confluence of brilliant minds pushing the boundaries of AI, machine learning, and computer vision. Events like these are critical for catalysing the cross-pollination of ideas and fostering collaboration that will unleash the next wave of innovation across these transformative technologies. We look forward to the breakthroughs and real-world impact that the insights shared at this summit will enable.”

Professor Timothy Baldwin, Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, commented, “The Machines Can See event offered a broad platform to discuss key aspects of AI and its potential impact on society. As the world’s first university specialising in AI research, MBZUAI’s faculty shared latest research findings and new innovations in a range of areas, in particular, foundation models for multimodal applications. It was also useful to engage with our international peers on key discussions regarding the importance of fostering AI talent to support ambitious government and business goals.”

“The Machines Can See Summit was a true celebration of human ingenuity and the remarkable progress being made in AI, machine learning, and computer vision. As a hub for innovation, the Technology Innovation Institute was proud to participate in this premier global gathering. Bringing together the brightest minds from around the world, this summit sparked invaluable cross-pollination of ideas that will undoubtedly seed transformative breakthroughs. We look forward to the next Machines Can See event and the awe-inspiring technological advancements it will showcase,” said Merouane Debbah, Senior AI Advisor at TII.

A key highlight was the Generative Interior Design Challenge, where developers leveraged generative models to reimagine interior spaces, with cash prizes worth $15,000 awarded to the winners. As many as 32 teams from around the world participated in the challenge. Teams DECEM, STABLEDESIGN, and XENONSTACK emerged as the winners and won special prizes from NVIDIA including graphic cards, access to deep learning institute training, and access to the cloud as a part of the inception program.

The Machines Can See Summit was supported by leading companies including NVIDIA, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), AI71, Core42, Intema, Dubai Business Events (DBE), Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Century Financial, and Emirates.