H.E Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Welcome to the new version of the UAE Hackathon, which, this year, will be held under the motto: Data for Happiness and Well-being. Here, we meet for one of the biggest events which will bring together creative minds in a comprehensive partnership between the government, universities, the private sector and individuals. Together, we renew our commitment to shape a better future for the UAE and its communities. A future which is built on data analysis and smart solutions and readiness to cope with the current and future challenges in this fast-changing world. We are living in an era where only those who create or initiate something new can shape the present and the future of the world. Last year, we were determined to launch the largest hackathon in the region that attracted creative people from across the seven emirates. Hundreds of contestants, volunteers and experts participated.

Last year’s hackathon was a unique experience that echoed widely at all levels. Now, we are preparing for the UAE Hackathon 2019, backed with rich experience, which we are keen to employ and achieve significant results in conjunction with the Month of Innovation. This year, we are keen to implement the results of the Hackathon on the ground. Your efforts and proposed solutions won’t go waste and will be transformed into great products. You will see this accomplished, Inshallah. My message to you all is to work together as a one, harmonious team aiming to achieve the motto of the hackathon which is happiness and well-being. I call on all government entities to increase the participation of their staff in the hackathon. We want to see teams representing everyone, including the government. Successful solutions are ones that represent all viewpoints, be it the opinion of the average citizen, the government officer, the academic, the business owner, the student and others. I urge all government entities to take serious steps in making data available and accessible to public within the law, and without prejudice to the prevailing rules of privacy and security. In any hackathon, we cannot estimate any results without these three elements: well-studied and clear-cut challenges, sufficient data and bringing minds together to solve solutions. I call on all universities to seize this important opportunity, to foster in their campuses and plans a culture of innovation and deem it as an integral mechanism for rehabilitation and education. In this era, it is very critical to prepare the youth and the next generation for a job market that is unique and quite different from those in the past. Prospective studies in recent years indicate that the future labour market will depend primarily on skills such as data analysis, innovation, and artificial intelligence. World Economic Forum report 2018 indicates that artificial intelligence has become a real threat to jobs done regularly by people. Last year, artificial intelligence took over about 29 per cent of human work. By 2022, artificial intelligence manifested by robots and intelligent machines will assume 58 per cent of the work that people used to do. Given the challenges embodied in artificial intelligence, it is imperative to maintain our readiness and to optimise the exploitation of the data revolution and its enormous opportunities for further growth. To achieve that purpose, we need graduates to have skills in data analysis and artificial intelligence, as well as social communication skills required to cooperate with others to create innovative solutions for the sake of the community. The unilateral vision based on theoretical rules are no longer feasible nowadays. Fortunately, today we have the treasure of data. As recently estimated, the world produces 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Do you know what is quintillion? It is 1000 raised to the power of 6. Can you imagine the number? Therefore, scientists call data ‘the new oil of the 21st century’. Because of this huge volume of data, number of data scientists in the USA will reach 2.7 million according to official reports. The public and private sectors realise that they should work hand in hand to face the global challenges. Future burdens cannot be borne by one sector alone. Corporate social responsibility is no longer secondary activities or simulated efforts to escape blame. Such responsibility became one of the business pillars of every company, small or big. Sustainable development and its 17 goals set by the UN as requirements for human progress, are not a responsibility of the government alone. All of us are partners required to achieve such goals. Companies will no longer think of its profits alone without paying attention to its social responsibility. We look at the society as a whole structure of companies, government entities, universities, schools, social clubs and individuals. Last but not the least, my message to the media is that you are always leaders of the word and messengers of awareness and knowledge. With your pens, you enlighten our way. You do not leave any effort to publish our message among the different classes of the community. I take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts and emphasize that we hope for more in the future. I hope the UAE Hackathon 2019 is an opportunity to enhance our partnership based on the spirit of effectiveness, positivity and clear messages. Let’s embody this spirit in the UAE Hackathon: data for happiness and well-being.