How is AI used across different verticals?

AI is now central to how industries operate, innovate, and serve people. In the UAE, 82 per cent of business leaders say AI already impacts their organisation’s achievements. What’s exciting is how AI adapts to each sector’s specific needs, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach.

In media and entertainment, for instance, AI is driving hyper-localised, culturally relevant experiences. Yasmina, the human-like bilingual AI assistant, is a prime example. Its LLM is trained extensively on Khaleeji content and refined through input from Arabic-speaking experts and even local comedians to ensure the humour, references, and style resonate authentically. Yasmina can assist with daily tasks like “How do you make Arabic coffee?” or explain complex topics like cloud seeding in simple terms. It reflects the Middle Eastern way of life, offering bedtime stories in both Arabic and English, and providing prayer time reminders with over 30 new Quran reciter voices introduced during Ramadan 2025. Through continuous training, Yasmina evolves to stay culturally relevant and human-like, aligning with the way people interact naturally in the region.

Among other examples of how AI is enabling the real world are last mile delivery and adtech solutions.

How do Yango’s autonomous delivery robots use AI?

In a time where consumers expect deliveries within minutes, our autonomous delivery robots, recently deployed in Dubai in partnership with ROOTS, are a strong example of AI’s practical benefits. Its AI-driven system ensures safe navigation even in complex city environments. The robots offer contactless deliveries within a two-kilometre radius in under 30 minutes.

They are electric-powered, helping reduce emissions in line with Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy, which aims to convert 25 per cent of all transportation to autonomous modes by 2030, reducing CO₂ emissions by 30 per cent. They support sustainability, reduce urban congestion, and give residents more flexible delivery options.

Do AI-powered ad tech platforms change the way businesses connect with their audiences?

Sure. I have a background in advertising, so it’s a subject close to my heart. I recall that even a decade ago we were successfully using AI-driven technologies to improve ad targeting and recommendations for businesses. And even today AI plays a role in the more operational or manual tasks. For instance, when it comes to visuals’ creation, AI-technologies can produce them faster and more efficiently. Now we see the whole ad campaigns in which all visual materials are generated by AI.

AI also proved to be efficient in ad moderation and fraud detection. At the same time humans still excel AI at understanding local contexts, cultural nuances, and emotional aspects of the marketing process, including selection of appropriate channels, and I believe this won’t change in the near future.

And what about the public sector using AI for services? What should governments consider if they want to use commercial AI for citizen-facing tasks?

The UAE is leading in AI adoption. I find the vision of the UAE leadership admirable as laid out in the country’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031. It is an efficient and structured approach to step-by-step deployment of AI technologies framework that acknowledges the fact that AI is still very much a developing work in progress, and that trying to look at it solely from a hard regulatory perspective is not the right approach. And I honestly hope more governments in more countries adopt the UAE government’s flexible attitude towards AI.

When deploying AI, it is important to uphold ethical standards, protect privacy, remain inclusive, integrate seamlessly with existing platforms, and build public trust through transparency. With all this in place, AI-driven technologies can really form an efficient tandem with humans that benefits communities, businesses and beyond.

Top Indian airlines Air India and IndiGo are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times as they reroute international flights after Pakistan shut its airspace to them amid escalating tensions in Kashmir.

International airlines are not affected by the ban.

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The impact of the airspace closure was visible starting late on Thursday, as Air India and IndiGo began to reroute flights to New York, Azerbaijan and Dubai – all of which typically use Pakistan airpsace, according to data from tracking website Flightradar24.

New Delhi Airport

The worst impacted airport will be New Delhi, one of the world’s busiest, from where flights cross Pakistani airspace to fly to destinations in the West and the Middle East. Data from Cirium Ascend showed IndiGo, Air India and its budget unit Air India Express have roughly 1,200 flights combined from New Delhi scheduled for Europe, the Middle East and North America in April.

Air India’s flights to the Middle East from New Delhi will now be forced to fly roughly an hour extra, which means higher fuel costs and less cargo to accommodate the extra fuel, said an Indian aviation industry executive, who declined to be identified.

IndiGo said on Friday “a few” of its flights will be impacted, while Air India said on X that some “flights to or from North America, UK, Europe, and Middle East will take an alternative extended route.”

“Air India is currently the most affected with the largest long- and ultra-long haul network out of Delhi,” said Ajay Awtaney, founder of aviation-focused website LiveFromALounge.

Indian airline industry: New set of problems

The airspace closure is the latest headache for the Indian airline industry, with expansion plans already complicated by jet delivery delays from Boeing and Airbus. Aircraft fuel and oil costs usually make up for about 30 per cent of an airline’s operating costs, by far the biggest component.

One Indian airline pilot told Reuters the move will disrupt schedules, but also force airlines to redo their calculations of flying hours in relation to regulations, and adjust their crew and pilot rosters accordingly.

Another executive at an Indian airline said the carrier was scrambling to assess the impact with some employees working late into the night on Thursday.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief media.

IndiGo flight 6E1803 from New Delhi to Baku on Thursday took 5 hours and 43 minutes via a longer route that involved going southwest to India’s Gujarat state and then over the Arabian Sea, before swinging back north over Iran to Azerbaijan, FlightAware data showed. The same flight, through Pakistan airspace, took 5 hours 5 minutes on Wednesday.

Pakistan has said the ban will be in place until May 23.

Oman has introduced regulations for the use of VPNs and certain applications, such as WhatsApp calls and TikTok, in the country.

According to a report from the Oman Observer, companies running these services can either collaborate directly with telecom providers or work through them, explained a top official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) during their annual media briefing on April 23.

The TRA also emphasised that it does not directly ban these applications, but regulates their services through licensing and by encouraging local companies.

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Although TikTok is not banned in the country, user issues are attributed to technical reasons.

Additionally, several TikTok users have started accessing the platform without a VPN.

All decisions made by the TRA aim to balance economic considerations with the needs of those benefiting from these services.

The country’s laws are carefully developed, considering feedback from international companies offering these services. The community also has the opportunity to voice its opinion, the official added.

Gold prices declined on Friday as China mulls suspending tariffs on certain US imports, denting the metal’s safe-haven appeal.

Spot gold fell 0.8 per cent to $3,322.36 an ounce as of 0421 GMT. US gold futures shed 0.5 per cent to $3,332.90.

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“The partial rollback of tariffs on some imports from China may be perceived as a positive step towards further de-escalation in US-China trade tensions, which exert modest downward pressure on safe-haven assets like gold,” said IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong.

China may exempt some US imports from its 125 per cent tariffs and is asking businesses to identify goods that could be eligible in the biggest sign yet that Beijing is anxious about the trade war’s economic fallout.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump asserted that trade talks with China are underway, pushing back against Chinese claims that no discussions have taken place to ease the ongoing trade war.

A spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry said that if the US “truly” wants to resolve the dispute, it should lift all unilateral tariff measures against China.

Non-yielding bullion, often viewed as a safeguard against global instability and which thrives in low interest rate environments, has surged over $700 this year, scaling multiple record peaks. It reached $3,500.05 on Tuesday.

“Over the longer term, structural tailwind remains intact, with further room for reserve diversification among emerging markets as they gradually align with the reserve composition of advanced economies,” Rong said.

Fed officials indicated they saw no urgency in revising the monetary policy as they sought more information to determine how the Trump administration’s tariffs were affecting the economy.

On the geopolitical front, Trump rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the biggest this year, resulted in at least 12 deaths.

Dubai’s tourism sector recorded a 3 per cent year-on-year growth in Q1 2025, continuing its post-pandemic momentum, according to Issam Kazim, CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

“Whereas we have already come back in 2023 with record numbers, and it was a great year for us, 2024 saw a 9 per cent growth in terms of visitation. We had about 18.72 million (overnight visitors) that came into Dubai. And so far, the first quarter of this year is 3 per cent ahead, which means we keep raising the benchmark,” Kazim said at a press conference held ahead of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025.

The briefing, organised by RX Global alongside strategic partners Emirates, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Al Rais Travel and DET, outlined plans for the 32nd edition of the event, which will take place from April 28 to May 1 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

ATM 2025 to host 2,800 companies in Dubai

This year’s ATM will be attended by over 125 stakeholders from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and will welcome more than 300 hosted buyers from 39 countries through its Hosted Buyers Programme.

“Together, we look forward to engaging with global leaders and industry experts, exchanging insights, exploring transformative trends, and forming new partnerships that will shape the future of travel and tourism,” Kazim said.

ATM 2025 will host over 2,800 exhibiting companies, with 17 per cent from the Middle East and 83 per cent from international markets.

The event is expected to attract 55,000 attendees from 161 countries, marking a nearly 12 per cent increase in exhibitor participation year-on-year. It will span 14 halls, making it the largest edition in its history.

Themed “Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity”, the show will explore how physical, digital, and human connections are shaping the future of tourism.

The theme will be reflected across the ATM Conference, ATM Travel Tech, networking events and exhibitor showcases.

Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME for ATM, said connectivity has become a defining factor for the travel industry’s evolution. “Tourism evolves as the world connects. Now, more than ever, collaboration among key stakeholders, including governments, airlines, travel agencies, hospitality leaders, and local communities, has become essential,” she said.

Curtis noted a strong increase in regional participation, with Asia leading growth at 20 per cent year-on-year, followed by the Middle East at 15 per cent , Europe at 12per cent, and steady gains across Africa and the Americas.