問題詳情

B.In 2017, Dubai—one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates—vowed that within three years it wouldhave the world’s first government powered by blockchain, the technology underlying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. And at theWorld Government Summit in Dubai in February, Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai’s crownprince, launched 26 government-led projects under the 10x initiative, which aims to make its eponymous capital city theworld’s most innovative within a decade.   The strategy reflects the emirate’s desire for soft power as it seeks to turn itself into a hub for global innovation. But it’salso a test of whether a benign autocracy like Dubai can usher in the next wave of technology—AI—by decree, and if so, whatthat means for more open, democratic countries that are also trying to incubate technologies intended to reshape the world.   It can feel as if Dubai is constructing the set of a science-fiction movie. Based on the prototypes it has unveiled in recentmonths, autonomous robocops may someday patrol the Dubai Mall as flying taxis whisk passengers above the gridlock-proneSheikh Zayed Road. Self-driving buslike pods might drop commuters directly at their doorsteps. At the main airport, a systemof hidden cameras disguised as a virtual aquarium tunnel may in the near future scan passengers’ faces and irises as they gawkat digital fish.   These aren’t just futuristic follies intended to look good on press releases. There’s real money behind such ideas. In 2016,Sheik Mohammed put up $270 million for the Dubai-based Future Endowment Fund, which invests in innovation. ItsAccelerators program accepts startups on the basis of their proposed solutions to government concerns. The Dubai policedepartment, for instance, asked Accelerator applicants to “utilize artificial intelligence … to provide statistics that may supportthe decision-making process or allow for faster response to emergency situations.”   A leadership reshuffle in October reinforced the government’s commitment as Sheik Mohammed appointed 27-year-oldOmar bin Sultan al-Olama as the UAE’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence, creating what is thought to be the world’s first suchCabinet position. “With AI, we cannot afford to be reactive. We must be proactive,” al-Olama says. “That’s the goal ofgovernment: to be proactive and do something about it today.”   The push to attract tech startups and investors to Dubai is consistent with Sheik Mohammed’s reorienting of the emirate’seconomy away from dependence on oil revenue after taking over in 2006. The early years of that effort resulted in what Dubaiis best known for today: fantastical skyscrapers, ultra-luxury tourist accommodations and global trade. It seems to have paidoff; while the price of oil has dropped 37% since 2013, the Dubai stock market is up 155%, according to Bloomberg data fromJanuary. Oil once made up about 50% of Dubai’s gross domestic product. Now it accounts for less than 1% of it.   The initial stage changed the face of Dubai as vast infrastructure and commercial projects were built. Now the next stageaims to create an urban environment where flying cabs and robot cops are everyday sights. If the government intends toconstruct a thriving playpen for technological guinea pigs, the people who live there are—by one measure—receptive to it. AnAccenture study last year found that three-fourths of UAE residents are ready to adopt AI-powered devices and services,compared with a world average of 62%.   It’s not as if they have much choice. The UAE’s leadership may be benevolent, but it is authoritarian. The state ranks147th out of 167 countries on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index. Political parties are outlawed, and the rulers’word is absolute. And democracy matters when it comes to technological advancement, argues Loren Graham, an MITprofessor emeritus in the history of science. Innovation has historically flourished in open, democratic societies not leastbecause they have legal systems that are not subject to political whims, he says. Disruptive technology can ignite courtroomsquabbles, and more repressive societies can’t always guarantee a level legal playing field—plus there’s the risk that a sittingruler could see an entrepreneur with enough success and wealth as “an implicit, if not explicit, challenge,” Graham says.   Officials in Dubai brush off any suggestion that their type of government has any effect on how the gadgets and AI testedon its roadways and in its airspace are developed and deployed. Dubai is investing in technology that serves the people, saysal-Olama. “His Highness Sheik Mohammed says the main goal of government is happiness,” he says. “He made my mandatethat, yes, we need to be AI-ready, but in a way that makes people happier.”
37. Which statement best describes Dubai’s position in innovation?[!--empirenews.page--]
(A) Dubai is the most open city in the world.
(B) Dubai is the most innovative city in the world.
(C) Dubai has the world’s first government powered by blockchain.
(D) Dubai’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence is the first of its kind in the world.

參考答案

答案：D
難度：適中0.5
統計：A(0),B(0),C(0),D(0),E(0)

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