Tech Life

Published

2 months ago

July 15, 2025

The Editors

We take a deep dive into quantum computers, with experts answering listeners’ questions.

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Quantum, Blockchain, and Key Challenges

Published

10 minutes ago

September 15, 2025

Name

The Surge of AI in Financial Services

In the rapidly evolving world of financial technology, artificial intelligence is not just a tool but a transformative force reshaping how banks and insurers operate. According to a detailed report in the Financial Times, AI-driven innovations are accelerating decision-making processes, from risk assessment to customer personalization, with major players like JPMorgan Chase investing billions in machine learning algorithms that predict market shifts with unprecedented accuracy. This shift is driven by the need to handle vast data volumes in real time, where traditional methods fall short.

Beyond banking, AI’s integration with edge computing is enabling instant actions in remote operations, as highlighted in posts on X from tech analysts who note its role in reducing latency for fraud detection. For instance, systems that process transactions at the point of sale are cutting fraud losses by up to 30%, according to insights shared by industry observers on the platform, emphasizing how this tech duo is becoming indispensable for secure, efficient financial ecosystems.

Quantum Computing’s Disruptive Potential

The rise of quantum computing represents another seismic shift, promising to solve complex financial models that classical computers struggle with. A Forbes Council post from April 2025 details how quantum tech could optimize portfolio management by simulating countless scenarios in seconds, a capability that’s drawing heavy investment from firms like Goldman Sachs. This trend aligns with broader industry moves toward advanced analytics, where quantum’s power addresses longstanding challenges in encryption and optimization.

Meanwhile, Capgemini’s TechnoVision 2025 report underscores quantum’s synergy with AI in financial services, forecasting its widespread adoption by 2030. Insiders warn, however, of the cybersecurity risks, as quantum could crack current encryption standards, prompting a race to develop quantum-resistant protocols as discussed in recent web analyses from cybersecurity experts.

Tokenization and Blockchain Innovations

Tokenization of assets is emerging as a key innovation, turning illiquid holdings like real estate into tradable digital tokens on blockchain networks. The Financial Times article explores how this democratizes investment, allowing fractional ownership and faster settlements, with examples from startups partnering with traditional banks to tokenize bonds and equities. This not only boosts liquidity but also reduces intermediary costs, potentially saving the industry trillions annually.

X posts from investment advisors highlight tokenization’s role in decentralized finance, with trends pointing to its integration with renewable energy projects for sustainable funding. Plaid’s insights on fintech trends further elaborate that by 2025, tokenization will underpin new consumer tools, enabling seamless cross-border payments and micro-investments, though regulatory hurdles remain a focal point in ongoing discussions.

Sustainability and Ethical AI Challenges

Sustainability is weaving into tech trends, with AI optimizing energy use in data centers that power financial operations. A McKinsey report from 2025 identifies agentic AI—autonomous systems—as a game-changer for enterprise innovation, helping firms like Visa reduce carbon footprints through smarter resource allocation. Yet, ethical concerns loom large, as biases in AI models could exacerbate inequalities in lending practices.

Web sources, including Outlook Money’s overview of tech trends in finance, stress the importance of robust governance to mitigate these risks. Industry insiders on X echo this, calling for transparent AI frameworks to ensure fair outcomes, especially as telemedicine and mental health apps intersect with financial wellness tools.

Navigating Geopolitical and Talent Gaps

Geopolitical tensions are complicating supply chains for semiconductors critical to these technologies. Smart Sync Investment Advisory Services on X notes the fragility despite massive capital expenditures, with export controls potentially delaying AI hardware advancements. This underscores the need for diversified sourcing strategies in an era where chips power everything from quantum simulations to blockchain ledgers.

Talent shortages in areas like AI design and ethical hacking pose another barrier, as per BigID’s white paper on 2025 tech challenges. Firms are ramping up training programs, but the gap persists, threatening innovation pace. As the Financial Times piece concludes, overcoming these hurdles will define which players thrive in this high-stakes arena, blending cutting-edge tech with strategic foresight to forge resilient financial futures.

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Tools & Platforms

How to write an AI ethics policy for the workplace

Published

38 minutes ago

September 15, 2025

Caroline Colvin

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If there is one common thread throughout recent research about AI at work, it’s that there is no definitive take on how people are using the technology — and how they feel about the imperative to do so.

Language learning models can be used to draft policies, generative AI can be used for image creation, and machine learning can be used for predictive analytics, Ines Bahr, a senior Capterra analyst who specializes in HR industry trends, told HR Dive via email.

Still, there’s a lack of clarity around which tools should be used and when, because of the broad range of applications on the market, Bahr said. Organizations have implemented these tools, but “usage policies are often confusing to employees,” Bahr told HR Dive via email — which leads to the unsanctioned but not always malicious use of certain tech tools.

The result can be unethical or even allegedly illegal actions: AI use can create data privacy concerns, run afoul of state and local laws and give rise to claims of identity-based discrimination.

Compliance and culture go hand in hand

While AI ethics policies largely address compliance, culture can be an equally important component. If employers can explain the reasoning behind AI rules, “employees feel empowered by AI rather than threatened,” Bahr said.

“By guaranteeing human oversight and communicating that AI is a tool to assist workers, not replace, a company creates an environment where employees not only use AI compliantly but also responsibly” Bahr added.

Kevin Frechette, CEO of AI software company Fairmarkit, emphasized similar themes in his advice for HR professionals building an AI ethics policy.

The best policies answer two questions, he said: “How will AI help our teams do their best work, and how will we make sure it never erodes trust?”

“If you can’t answer how your AI will make someone’s day better, you’re probably not ready to write the policy,” Frechette said over email.

Many policy conversations, he said, are backward, prioritizing the technology instead of the workers themselves: “An AI ethics policy shouldn’t start with the model; it should start with the people it impacts.”

Consider industry-specific issues

A model of IBM Quantum during the inauguration of Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center on Oct. 1, 2024, in Ehningen, Germany. The center provides cloud-based quantum computing for companies, research institutions and government agencies.

Thomas Niedermueller via Getty Images

Industries involved in creating AI tools have additional layers to consider: Bahr pointed to research from Capterra that revealed that software vulnerabilities were the top cause of data breaches in the U.S. last year.

“AI-generated code or vibe coding can present a security risk, especially if the AI model is trained on public code and inadvertently replicates existing vulnerabilities into new code,” Bahr explained.

An AI disclosure policy should address security risks, create internal review guidelines for AI-generated code, and provide training to promote secure coding practices, Bahr said.

For companies involved in content creation, an AI disclosure could be required and should address how workers are responsible for the final product or outcome, Bahr said.

“This policy not only signals to the general public that human input has been involved in published content, but also establishes responsibilities for employees to comply with necessary disclosures,” Bahr said.

“Beyond fact-checking, the policy needs to address the use of intellectual property in public AI tools,” she said. “For example, an entertainment company should be clear about using an actor’s voice to create new lines of dialogue without their permission.”

Likewise, a software sales representative could be able to explain to clients how AI is used in the company’s products. Customer data use can also be a part of disclosure policy, for example.

The policy’s in place. What now?

Because AI technology is constantly evolving, employers must remain flexible, experts say.

“A static AI policy will be outdated before the ink dries,” according to Frechette of Fairmarkit. “Treat it like a living playbook that evolves with the tech, the regulations, and the needs of your workforce,” he told HR Dive via email.

HR also should continue to test the AI policies and update them regularly, according to Frechette. “It’s not about getting it perfect on Day One,” he said. “It’s about making sure it’s still relevant and effective six months later.”

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Tools & Platforms

Why the Future of AI in the Arab World Must Begin with the Basics

Published

1 hour ago

September 15, 2025

Stars of Science

Why the Future of AI in the Arab World Must Begin with the Basics

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As AI reshapes everything around us, Qatar is doubling down on the vital role of core scientific disciplines—led by programs like Stars of Science—to make regional innovations achieve universal impact.

DOHA, Qatar, Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Across Qatar and the Arab world, the race to harness artificial intelligence is heating up. Governments, universities, and startup incubators are aligning to transform the region into an AI hub. Yet amid this momentum, leading voices in science and technology are urging a return to fundamentals – especially as studies like MIT’s reveal that students who relied on ChatGPT showed the lowest brain engagement and consistently underperformed compared to peers using search engines or no tools at all.

As the longest-serving juror on Stars of Science, Prof. Fouad Mrad returns in Season 17, bringing decades of expertise to the next generation of Arab innovators.

Dr. Ahmad Nabeel, acclaimed innovator and season 9 finalist, returns for the fourth time as a guest juror in Stars of Science Season 17, bringing his journey from innovator to mentor full circle.

Stars of Science alumnus Mohammed Al-Qassabi captures a celebratory moment with contestants during the casting of Stars of Science Season 17.

Nada Elkharashi, finalist on Stars of Science Season 16, working in the lab as she was refining her project during the development phase.

Watch Arab innovators take the stage in Season 17 of Stars of Science, competing for the title of Top Arab Innovator.

This vision is embodied by Stars of Science, now in its seventeenth season. The edutainment show captures the innovation journey of young Arab innovators who transform their ideas into real-world solutions rooted in scientific principles. Far from treating AI as a buzzword, the program emphasizes the importance of grounding breakthroughs in tested, data-backed experimentation, already generating 14 AI-powered innovations.

“AI is applied science at its core,” said Prof. Fouad Mrad, one of the show’s longest-serving jurors and its science advisor. “What you learned two years ago might already be outdated. But the basics? Those stay with you.”

This belief is tightly woven into Qatar’s broader agenda to build a diversified, knowledge-based economy. Under the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country continues to invest in scientific research and science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education across all levels. Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s launch of ‘Fanar’, an Arabic-language generative AI platform, empowers Arabic-speaking innovators to apply AI in ways grounded in science and context.

Even on the global stage, this view is taking hold. Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and a 2024 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, recently emphasized that success in AI still depends on mastering fundamental disciplines like mathematics, physics, and biology. His reasoning is simple: AI is a powerful amplifier of knowledge, not a replacement for it.

This approach is already shaping the work of Stars of Science alumni who are showing that AI, when paired with scientific principles, can transform entire fields.

Dr. Ahmad Nabeel, the Kuwaiti finalist from Season 9, created ‘Klens’, a self-cleaning laparoscope that addresses a long-standing challenge in minimally invasive surgery: lens obstruction. The device uses predictive AI, trained on surgical data, to detect when fog or fluids may impair vision and trigger a cleaning mechanism before the view is compromised.

Rather than reinventing a solution, Nabeel’s innovation builds on proven medical practices enhanced through AI. Today, he leads Gulf Medical Technologies. In 2024, his company partnered with Mayo Clinic to further develop and commercialize ‘Klens’. Through this work, Nabeel exemplifies how AI becomes most impactful when it strengthens, not shortcuts, the scientific process.

This alignment of education, innovation, and mentorship is also visible in Qatar Foundation’s wider ecosystem. Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a global hub for deep tech with impact, and a member of Qatar Foundation, has continued to support Stars of Science and other startups, as part of its mission to create a future where technology and science positively impact humanity and the natural world. At Web Summit Qatar 2025, QSTP launched programs like the Shell.ai Futures Pitch to support AI-focused sustainability ventures, reinforcing the country’s commitment to science-backed innovation.

Looking ahead, Mrad believes that future success in AI across the Arab world will be defined by those who use scientific fundamentals as their springboard.

“The most impactful ideas we see are those that fuse AI with deep domain knowledge,” he said. “In the coming seasons, I expect even more projects that don’t just use AI but elevate it through science.”

By investing in education, building AI tools, and celebrating innovators who use AI responsibly, Qatar is not only keeping pace with global change – it is helping define it.

To follow the contestants’ journeys as they build impactful AI on Stars of Science, find the latest broadcast details on starsofscience.com.

About Stars of Science:

Throughout 17 years of success, Stars of Science – the edutainment TV initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF) – has leveraged its position as the premier innovation show in the Arab world to empower Arab innovators to successfully transform innovative ideas into tangible solutions, strengthening the culture of innovation among Arab youth. In its sustained journey that started in 2009, the show has demonstrated how young Arab innovators develop technological solutions for their communities, aiming to improve people’s well-being, provide financial opportunities to their local citizens, and advance sustainable development.

Over a 12-week process, the contestants develop their solutions experimentally in a shared innovation space, competing against time with the mentorship and support of a team of experienced engineers and product developers.

An expert panel of jurors assesses and selects more promising innovators and their projects every week across several prototyping and testing rounds until three finalists remain to compete for a share of the Grand Prize. Jury deliberation and online voting from the public determine the rankings of the two top winners.

To know more about Stars of Science, please visit: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, and LinkedIn

For media inquiries, please contact: Oussama Rahal – [email protected]

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SOURCE Stars of Science