The UMEX & SimTEX Conference Highlights Prospects and Obstacles in the Future of Unmanned Systems

Under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, the UMEX and SimTEX 2024 Conference concluded at ADNEC on Monday, featuring a dynamic series of presentations, panel discussions, and keynote speeches that brought together leading practitioners and experts from the unmanned systems sector globally. The discussions centered around key opportunities and challenges in the field.

With the overarching theme of ‘Soaring to new heights: impact of new technologies in evolving unmanned systems era,’ the conference began with a keynote address by H.E. Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Advanced Science and Technology, UAE. His Excellency explored the potential of leveraging knowledge through the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI to enhance the UAE’s leadership in defense and civil applications of unmanned systems.

Following this, a session on ‘Artificial Intelligence: An overview of the current landscape and AI impact on the future of intelligent autonomous systems’ featured a presentation by Professor Fakhreddine (Fakhri) Karray of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) on the impact of generative AI on unmanned systems.

A panel discussion titled ‘Harnessing Disruptive Technologies: The true potential of technological advancements of unmanned systems’ emphasized the need for government leadership in investing in and harnessing disruptive technologies. This session highlighted the importance of ‘AI fluency’ among the emerging generation of young UAE technologists.

Further, a keynote speech by Dr. Yehya Al Marzooqi, Advisor – CEO Office, Tawazun Economic Council, delved into ‘The impact of autonomous systems in society and industry beyond defense,’ exploring new applications of unmanned systems in sectors such as health, education, and agriculture, subject to ethical regulation.

The agenda continued with a fireside chat on ‘Techniques and Technologies: Understanding and mitigating the evolving threat posed by unmanned systems,’ featuring Robert Harward VADM, USN (Ret.) SEAL, Executive Vice President of International Business & Strategy, Shield AI, and Col. Dr. Rashed Aldhaheri, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the UAE National Defence College. The discussion focused on the growing threat posed by drones using ‘swarming’ tactics.

A panel discussion on ‘The future of military operations: Integrating legacy systems with intelligent unmanned systems through manned/unmanned teaming’ explored the effectiveness of unmanned systems in enhancing traditional naval patrolling and discussed the need for countries to consider countering exploitation in a technology-proliferated world.

Dr. Sherif Hashem of George Mason University presented on ‘Investing in countermeasures and cybersecurity in a rapidly changing threat landscape and all-to-all connectivity,’ covering the growth in cyber-attacks and the global measures taken to counter this threat.

The day concluded with a presentation by H.E Dr. Saeed Al Dhaheri, Director, Centre for Futures Studies, University of Dubai, on ‘Laws on LAWS: The status of regulation on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems.’ His Excellency raised ethical questions surrounding ‘AI-driven lethality’ and suggested potential bans or tight regulations for such unmanned systems. The conference ended with closing remarks from H.E Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity, UAE Government.