Latest / DEWA Podcasts / Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award prioritises AI-driven innovation to address global water challenges Applications remain open for the fifth cycle

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Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award prioritises AI-driven innovation to address global water challenges Applications remain open for the fifth cycle · DEWA Podcasts

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  Welcome to Future Forward, where we explore the
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  innovations shaping our tomorrow. Today, we're
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  looking at a groundbreaking shift in the fight
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  against the global water crisis. Yeah. It's driven
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  by one of the world's most prestigious awards.
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  We are, Sarah. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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  Global Water Award has always, you know, been
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  at the forefront of driving scalable and sustainable
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  water solutions. Right. But now, in its fifth
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  cycle, it's turning to a powerful new ally, artificial
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  intelligence. That's the game changer. AI is
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  now a formal part of the award's evaluation framework.
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  Under the creativity and innovation criteria,
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  there's this new emphasis on how applicants are
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  using AI -driven models and machine learning
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  algorithms to solve water challenges. It's a
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  move that really reflects where the most advanced
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  research is already heading. Absolutely. The
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  vision behind this was articulated perfectly
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  by His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayr, the
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  chairman of the Board of Trustees at Sukia. He
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  said, and I quote, Wow. Okay. That's huge. It
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  is. He continues, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al
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  Maktoum Global Water Award, which supports the
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  UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence
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  2031, is supervised by the UAE Water Aid Foundation,
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  Sukia UAE, with total prizes amounting to USD
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  1 million. The award plays a vital role in building
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  a solid foundation for research, development,
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  and innovation. Right. as well as facilitating
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  comprehensive analysis and in -depth studies.
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  So getting into the details. Exactly. And this
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  approach enables the delivery of cost -effective,
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  high -impact resources and solutions to communities
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  most in need of water. That's the core of it.
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  Yes. And finally, the award also serves as a
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  comprehensive global platform harnessing innovation
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  and advanced technologies to secure a brighter
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  and more sustainable future for humanity. It's
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  such a clear and ambitious mandate. In practice,
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  this means award evaluators will assess how effectively
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  AI is used to, say, automate operations, predict
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  water demand, and even discover optimal materials
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  for new purification systems. It's about building
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  intelligent water infrastructure from the ground
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  up. And this isn't, you know, a new award starting
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  from scratch. No, not at all. It builds on a
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  really strong legacy. Over four cycles, it has
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  already recognized 43 winners from 26 countries.
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  Wow. And that was celebrating technologies that
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  use renewable energy to produce, desalinate,
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  and purify water. So with categories for projects,
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  R &D, individuals, and crisis solutions, this
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  new focus on AI is just set to accelerate that
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  impact exponentially. By integrating AI so deeply,
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  the award is doing more than just funding projects.
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  Right. It's actively shaping the future of intelligent,
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  sustainable water technology for the entire world.
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  Now, here's a question we'd like you to think
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  about. Okay. Beyond water, what other fundamental
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  human challenge do you think could be transformed
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  by making AI a central part of the solution -finding
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  process?