Saudi Arabia’s stc Group Wins Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Award

stc Group logo
stc Group logo
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Saudi Arabia’s stc Group Wins Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Award

stc Group logo
stc Group logo

stc Group, the Saudi enabler of digital transformation, has won the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Award in recognition of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices in four areas related to climate, society, digitalization and the future of work.
The award was received by stc Group Vice President of Corporate Relations Mohammed bin Rashid Abaalkheil on the sidelines of the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders Summit 2023, which was held in Abu-Dhabi on November 2-3.
The award represents a testimony to stc Group’s commitment to sustainable business practices, which are being applied within the group’s various divisions. The group’s initiatives have had a positive impact on the environment and the communities within which it operates, from reducing carbon emissions to environmental awareness campaigns, as stc Group considers sustainability fundamental in dealing with the environment and a vital necessity for doing business.
The group pledges its commitment to shaping a sustainable future for its customers, employees, and the communities to which it provides its services, it said in a statement.
The sustainability efforts made by the group have received recognition from other organizations as well, such as the United Nations Global Compact and the Carbon Disclosure Project. The group’s sustainability strategy aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and focuses on three main areas: environmental responsibility, social investment and governance, it said.
The statement added that stc Group is committed to sustainability and carries out practices that help the environment, cementing its position as a leader in sustainable business practices. By reducing the carbon footprint and implementing sustainable practices, the group is having a positive impact and making the world healthier and more prosperous for future generations.
stc Group has a number of achievements in many aspects of sustainability, including providing 4,348 hours of sustainability training to employees, relying 38,21% on local content, involving 213 small and medium enterprises in procurement processes, and awarding contracts to giant projects that use local content worth SAR 5billion, as well as providing more than 127,000 hours of training through stc Academy.
The group, through the InspireU accelerator, adopted about 100 startup companies and provided them with support at a value of up to SAR10 billion, has 52% women in the advanced analytics department, employs 43 different nationalities in the work team, and contributed to the technical empowerment of 324 non-governmental organizations through the technical empowerment program, which provides services to more than 10,000 users in 64 cities.



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.