As the technology landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly significant in shaping our future. Cisco, a global technology player, at GITEX Global 2023, will showcase its latest advancements in AI.
Taking part under the theme of “Experience the Power of AI to Shape the Future,” Cisco’s presence at GITEX Global 2023 is a testament to their dedication to innovation. Reem Asaad, Vice President, Cisco Middle East and Africa, said, “We want to demonstrate the power of innovation in helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation and navigate emerging technological shifts at scale.
“Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with subject matter experts at Cisco’s stand and experience demos that illustrate how Cisco’s AI technologies are empowering industries such as education, healthcare, financial services, retail, and manufacturing.”
A focus on AI innovation
Cisco’s AI applications cover a broad spectrum of use cases. These include predicting network outages and enhancing networking visibility, threat prediction in security, advanced insights in collaboration (with features like real-time translation and improved meeting summaries), statistical modelling and baselining in observability, and AI-powered technical assistance support in customer experience.
“At GITEX, we are highlighting our latest AI innovations, spanning networking, security, collaboration, and applications. We aim to securely connect everything to make anything possible. The exciting part is that we have been applying AI across our portfolio for over a decade,” said Asaad.
Over the years, Cisco has made significant strides in Predictive AI, which established a foundation for expanded possibilities and prospects with Generative AI. In the context of Collaboration, Cisco employs AI to enhance its audio intelligence capabilities, including tasks such as speech-to-text conversion, translation, transcription services, and the elimination of background noise. Additionally, in the sphere of security, AI plays a pivotal role in reinforcing its security suite, aided by policy assistants and SOC assistants. Furthermore, they are actively engaged in developing specialised security solutions tailored to the unique requirements of AI models.
Ahead of GITEX Global, Cisco launched the State of Global Innovation Report 2023, which highlighted findings specific to the UAE, indicating that an impressive 95 percent of CIOs, IT decision-makers, and developers surveyed within the UAE perceive their organisations as innovative.
In terms of the top tech trends anticipated to have a substantial impact on businesses, the study identified that respondents in the UAE are particularly inclined toward generative AI (43 percent).
Closely second is next-generation networks, including the highly-anticipated 6G (38 percent), and the critical domain of cybersecurity (38 percent). These are the technologies expected to significantly influence businesses in the UAE over the next five years.
Furthermore, when it comes to deriving value from technology investments, the UAE surpassed the global average. While the worldwide average stood at 57 percent, an impressive 63 percent of UAE respondents expressed a positive outlook. What’s more, they even have intentions to invest an average of 14 percent of their annual revenue in innovative projects within the next 12 months, once again exceeding the global average.
“The acceleration of AI will fundamentally change our world and create new growth drivers for Cisco, our customers, and our partners. Understanding AI’s potential and putting AI to work to unlock new use cases are equally important and essential to fully realise its possibilities. As a trusted partner, Cisco is committed to helping customers and partners navigate this transition in a responsible way and deliver on the promise of this technology,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Asaad noted that Cisco recognises AI’s vast impact and its role in solving many real-world challenges. However, it is imperative that progress in AI is accompanied by a moral imperative so that AI’s growth will yield a sustainable, positive impact.
To address these challenges, Cisco is committed to ethical and responsible AI use, this entails removing bias in AI models and placing privacy and security at the core of the process. “Cisco is a leader in using AI ethically and responsibly, thanks to its policies regarding data privacy and human rights. We aim to uphold a responsible, fair, and reflective approach to the governance, implementation, and use of AI technologies in our solutions.”
In 2022, Cisco published its Responsible AI framework, which is a significant step toward ensuring the ethical and responsible use of AI. As Reem Asaad noted, “We believe that collectively aspiring to leverage the promise of AI responsibly and ethically will benefit our customers, stakeholders, and the world at large.”
As part of this commitment, Cisco is evolving its Responsible AI framework to address new risk variants, including false content and unanticipated output. This approach enables their teams and customers to adopt AI with speed and scale while ensuring safety and security and mitigating risks and biases.
Visitors at GITEX have the chance to discover how Cisco is aiding the UAE’s shift towards a digital economy through the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme, which has been operational in the country since 2018. The CDA programme signifies a sustained, worldwide partnership between Cisco and national leadership, industry entities, and academia, with the aim of actively supporting strategic initiatives aligned with national digitisation agendas.
GITEX GLOBAL offers a valuable occasion for networking and engagement with industry leaders, influential figures, and vital government stakeholders. The Cisco booth will be conveniently situated at booth #H22-C20.
