Abu Dhabi [UAE], March 11: Marking a significant milestone, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) unveils the enhanced MBZUAI Executive Programme (MEP) concurrent with the welcoming of its fifth cohort comprising 44 distinguished senior leaders.
In its pursuit of industry relevance, MEP undergoes a comprehensive transformation to empower senior professionals with the practical application of artificial intelligence (AI) principles across diverse sectors.
Aiming to cater to professionals from various fields, including government, energy, finance, law, transport and logistics, health, sports, and education, the program emphasizes real-world projects, policy development, and ethical considerations to provide participants with a holistic and applied understanding of AI.
This revamped initiative plays a pivotal role in fostering the development of a robust regional and global AI community, essential for advancing the digital transformation goals of organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The MEP curriculum has been restructured as an in-person engagement spread over 16 weeks, featuring four chapters and seven modules. Four new chapters have been incorporated, addressing crucial aspects of AI, including its Paradigm Shift, Fundamentals, Industry Transformations, and Strategy, Policymaking, and Ethics.
A notable aspect of this edition of the MEP is its commitment to gender balance, with 43 percent of participants being female leaders in their respective fields.
Additionally, the program offers participants a unique opportunity for international exposure, allowing them to witness real-world examples of AI applications from major technology organizations globally. This exposure aims to facilitate learning from the best practices within AI-specific industries on a global scale.
MBZUAI’s President and University Professor, Eric Xing, emphasizes the program’s close alignment with the changing market demands for AI skills, knowledge, and solutions across public and private sector organizations. The curriculum reflects the dynamic nature of AI, incorporating important aspects such as policy, ethics, and strategy.
The program features renowned global AI experts as instructors, including Professor Michael Jordan from UC Berkeley, Professor Justine Cassell from Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Karl Ulrich from Wharton Business School, and Dr. Xuedong Huang from Zoom, among others.
The MEP concludes with participants working on capstone projects that leverage AI to address national or organizational challenges, aiming for transformational change in societal areas such as healthcare, education, and sustainability.
Having graduated over 150 C-suite executives, directors, and secretaries-general, the MEP continues to make a substantial impact on the AI landscape in the UAE, enriching various entities, including government departments, startups, small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and non-commercial NGOs. The diverse and talented alumni contribute to the ongoing evolution and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence.