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Saudi Arabia, Japan Reach Strategic Partnership to Develop Digital Economy

The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Japan’s Digital Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning digital economy.
The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Japan’s Digital Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning digital economy.
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Saudi Arabia, Japan Reach Strategic Partnership to Develop Digital Economy

The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Japan’s Digital Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning digital economy.
The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Japan’s Digital Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning digital economy.

The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Japan’s Digital Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding concerning digital economy, developing digital government and accelerating the adoption of modern technologies, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The agreement was reached during the visit headed by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha to Japan to boost partnership in the fields of technology, innovation and space.

Under its terms, the two countries will cooperate to promote and support government digital services, including digital platforms, e-signatures and documentation, build capacity and share knowledge.

The two sides will also cooperate in research and innovation, establishing research teams to develop digital government services and exchange best practices and policies that enable the use of emerging technologies in businesses and improve customer experience.

The memorandum was signed by Al-Swaha and Japanese Minister for Digital Transformation Kono Taro; several officials from both sides attended the signing ceremony.

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First Artwork by Humanoid Robot Sells for $1.3m

Ultra-realistic AI robot Ai-Da is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig. Ben Stansall / AFP/File
Ultra-realistic AI robot Ai-Da is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig. Ben Stansall / AFP/File
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First Artwork by Humanoid Robot Sells for $1.3m

Ultra-realistic AI robot Ai-Da is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig. Ben Stansall / AFP/File
Ultra-realistic AI robot Ai-Da is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig. Ben Stansall / AFP/File

A portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing became the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching $1,320,000 on Thursday.
The 2.2 meter (7.5 feet) portrait by "Ai-Da", the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist, smashed pre-sale expectations of $180,000 when it went under the hammer at London auction house Sotheby's Digital Art Sale, said AFP.
"Today's record-breaking sale price for the first artwork by a humanoid robot artist to go up for auction marks a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art and reflects the growing intersection between A.I. technology and the global art market," said the auction house.
The ultra-realistic robot, one of the most advanced in the world, is designed to resemble a human woman with a face, large eyes and a brown wig.
Ai-Da is named after Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer and was devised by Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art.
"The greatest artists in history grappled with their period of time, and both celebrated and questioned society's shifts," said Meller.
“Ai-Da Robot as technology, is the perfect artist today to discuss the current developments with technology and its unfolding legacy," he added.
Ai-Da generates ideas through conversations with members of the studio, and suggests creating an image of Turing during a discussion about "A.I. for good".
The robot was then asked what style, color, content, tone and texture to use, before using cameras in its eyes to look at a picture of Turing and create the painting.
Meller led the team that created Ai-Da with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.
Meller said Turing, who made his name as a World War II codebreaker, mathematician and early computer scientist, had raised concerns about the use of AI in the 1950s.
The artwork's "muted tones and broken facial planes" seemingly suggested "the struggles Turing warned we will face when it comes to managing AI", he said.
Ai-Da's works were "ethereal and haunting" and "continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power", he added.