Author: Emirates Insight

Saudi Arabia has granted premium residency visas to entrepreneurs as it looks to boost investment and attract business innovators. Saudi Arabia’s Premium Residency Centre has announced the granting of “Entrepreneur Residency” status to more than 100 entrepreneurs representing over 20 nationalities, during the Biban Forum 2025 organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Centre. The move forms part of the centre’s strategy to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs, while supporting the development of Saudi Arabia’s investment and innovation ecosystem in line with…

TL;DR Although AI has made stunning advances in language, reasoning, and simulation, there is no evidence that any current system possesses subjective self‑awareness, and fundamental differences in embodiment, memory, emotion, and architecture suggest true machine consciousness remains a distant, uncertain prospect. As artificial intelligence systems continue to evolve, people increasingly wonder whether these sophisticated machines are developing a sense of self. This article examines AI self-awareness by tracing its historical roots, unpacking what self-awareness means, reviewing current AI capabilities, analyzing philosophical theories of consciousness, and exploring technical barriers, public perceptions, expert forecasts, ethical considerations, and major research initiatives. Historical Context: From…

The partnership aims to enable settlements using the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin for Mastercard and WebBank payments. Ripple has announced that it is collaborating with Mastercard, WebBank, and Gemini to explore the use of its RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). The initiative is designed to enable RLUSD to make blockchain-based payments between Mastercard and WebBank. Stablecoin Settlements to Go Mainstream Sherri Haymond, Mastercard’s Global Head of Digital Commercialization, said in a November 5 press release that the goal is to use its global network to help bring regulated stablecoin payments into the financial mainstream. “Guided by our…

With so much money flooding into AI startups, it’s a good time to be an AI researcher with an idea to test out. And if the idea is novel enough, it might be easier to get the resources you need as an independent company instead of inside one of the big labs. That’s the story of Inception, a startup developing diffusion-based AI models that just raised $50 million in seed funding. The round was led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Mayfield, Innovation Endeavors, Microsoft’s M12 fund, Snowflake Ventures, Databricks Investment, and Nvidia’s venture arm NVentures. Andrew Ng and Andrej…

Global Village, the region’s favourite multicultural family destination for entertainment, shopping and dining,is turning the Main Stage into a K-pop powerhouse with K-LOUD: K-Pop Concert on Saturday, 16 November 2025 at 7 pm. The show marks the grand finale of the K-EXPO UAE Exhibition being held at the park, bringing together some of Korea’s biggest stars for an unforgettable night of music and spectacle. The concert will feature an exciting line-up of K-Pop talent, including CHEN, a powerhouse vocalist and core member of EXO who has built a popular solo career defined by flawless high notes and heartfelt ballads; PUNCH,…

Saudi Arabia currently has $14.9bn invested in technology and a digital economy projected to reach $76bn by 2030. The country offers 1,300 megawatts of data-centre capacity and 20 subsea cables linking East and West, infrastructure that underpins its digital transformation and the creation of 300 start-ups nationwide. Invest Saudi is set to showcase the Kingdom’s growing role as a world-leading destination for technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), e-commerce, and logistics investment at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. Invest Saudi Overseen by the Saudi Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA), Invest Saudi serves as the government’s investment attraction and promotion entity, tasked with…

Global Villageis serving up an irresistible lineup of must-try kiosks duringSeason 30. Showcasing a blend of international flavours and homegrown favourites, the destination has something to offer for every single craving, from bold and savory bites to indulgent desserts and refreshing drinks. This month’s curated guide includes Baba G’s, Boost Juice, KBJ Fries, Roots, JRK Kitchen, Bechamel Cake Slice, Baskd, and Jelly Joy, among more than 250 dining options across Global Village. Baba G’s Straight from London’s Camden Market, Baba G’s serves Indian-inspired street food with a modern twist. From stacked lamb patties, colourful sides and those undeniably distinctive Baba…

XRP rises to $2.33 after a 12% rebound as 21,595 new wallets are created, marking the highest growth on the XRP Ledger in months. Ripple’s native token has moved back up to $2.33, recovering from recent lows after strong activity on the XRP Ledger. The recovery comes after a week where the asset dropped by double digits, influenced by broader market stress. According to market data from Santiment, 21,595 new XRP wallets were created over a two-day span, the largest increase in eight months. This comes after a 12% price jump in 24 hours, offering gains to those who…

While Roy Lee, the founder of Cluely, argues that startups should be thinking harder about social media virality, he also admits that brand awareness alone won’t lead to sustained growth. “I can’t say if it’s a mistake, but maybe we launched too early,” Lee said onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 last week. “The whole idea [was] let’s launch something that barely works, and if we can get enough initial users, they will find out the use cases for us.” Cluely burst onto the tech scene in April with rage-bait marketing for a product it claimed would help users “cheat on…

The Emirates Group, comprising Dubai’s Emirates Airline and dnata, announced its fourth consecutive year of record profitability on the back of AED75.4 billion (US$20.6 billion) in revenue for the first six months of 2025-26, up 4 per cent from AED70.8 billion (US$19.3 billion) last year. Profit before tax reached AED12.2 billion (US$3.3 billion), while the group’s profit after tax surged 13 per cent to AED10.6 billion (US$2.9 billion). EBITDA was at AED21.1 billion (US$5.7 billion), 3 per cent higher than the AED20.4 billion (US$5.6 billion) reported for the same period last year, highlighting the group’s strong operating performance. Emirates closed the first half year of…