Drones pose a serious threat and have turned into weapons preferred by terrorist groups with their low cost of production, efficiency, effectiveness, and ease of procurement, mainly if regimes and countries are sponsoring them, warned an Emirati official on Monday.
UAE's Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Mohammed al-Bowardi, indicated that drones could play several roles associated with traditional fighter planes, like monitoring, reconnaissance, and aerial attacks.
Bowardi spoke at the fifth edition of the Unmanned Systems Conference 2022 that accompanies UMEX & SimTEX exhibitions 2022. It began Sunday under the theme is "Unmanned, Unbound: Realizing The Promise of The Unmanned Revolution" under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"Despite the scientific and technological advances that unmanned systems represent, they also entail unprecedented threats and challenges, which is why we must double our efforts to protect international legitimacy and realize international peace and security, and to work together to keep the wheel of progress and prosperity moving forward for the sake of our future generations," he said.
The Minister asserted that nations should elevate their creativity to confront challenges, foster trust and awareness in human interaction with smart machines, and make the right decisions in this unmanned age.
In his opening speech, Bowardi welcomed the participating delegations to Abu Dhabi, saying: "Unmanned systems and drones have become synonymous with the real and unprecedented technological revolutions that are putting the future in our hands."
Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Omar al-Olama, reiterated the importance of protecting the nations through these technologies. Although these technologies may not be perfect, they have great potential and can help protect civilians during wars, according to Olama.
Olama explained at the conference that these systems could work uniformly and harmoniously in ways that humans may not be able to do.
"Algorithms do not have our feelings and fears, and they do not get tired. They work around the clock throughout the year, carry out the commands, and outperform traditional systems,” he stated.
The Minister pointed out that despite the advantages of the systems, they entail several challenges, especially when combined with artificial intelligence techniques.
For his part, the head of the UMEX and SimTEX 2022 higher organizing committee, Major General Mubarak al-Jabri, asserted that unmanned systems are an essential part of the world, noting that people now rely on them continuously in many vital areas, especially in covering those tasks that may otherwise be risky and complex for humans.
Jabri stated that despite the progress made in this field, it is still the beginning in terms of dependency and adoption of these systems for the future.
"The systems still face many challenges, whether technical, operational, or even societal," he explained.
He indicated that replacing old systems and devices with unmanned systems may be challenging for the users who will have to learn to adapt to the new technology, especially in the defense and security sectors, which leaves little room for error.
The conference includes four seminars featuring 22 high-level speakers from across the world, including ministers, leaders, and innovators, who will be discussing several topics and issues related to the unmanned systems sector.
The seminars will focus on four main themes: Understanding the Changing Unmanned Landscape, Facilitating Trust and Understanding: Human-Machine Teaming and Decision-Making in the Unmanned Age, Optimizing Innovation: Overcoming Adoption and Integration Challenges, and Unmanned Systems and the 4IR: How Technology is Shaping Future Capabilities.
