A whole new world

The future is here, and it's brought a football with it for kicks. 

The future is here, and it's brought a football with it for kicks. 

A video of humanoid robots trying to play soccer in Beijing is going viral, and trust me, it’s peak comedy. Think less Ronaldo, and more of a wobbly giraffe trying to do yoga. They’re calling it a breakthrough in AI, which means a robot might soon be your Talabat delivery driver, only to trip, drop your meal, and then pull out a tipping iPad. A great technological leap, eh?

But here in Bahrain, we're building the future. The Ministry of Youth Affairs is making sure that when we talk about AI. Last week, for example, we wrapped up the first-ever "Roots: AI and the Next Generation" summit right here in Sakhir. This wasn't just some boring, stuffy conference. It brought together students, leading tech experts, and even ministers to discuss how AI is poised to transform our world, from education to cybersecurity.

And…this isn’t just a one-off event. The Ministry is pioneering real-world AI right here in Bahrain. We have banks using AI-powered virtual employees, and the government is even using cutting-edge AI to monitor our palm trees for food security. 

Yes, we’re teaching robots to look for dates. It’s happening. They have a national plan to train 50,000 Bahrainis in AI skills by 2030, creating a whole army of tech wizards. So while other countries are still trying to teach a robot to kick a ball without falling over, Bahrain’s youth are getting the skills and connections to shape the future.

We’re not just watching the show, we’re building the stage. And that, my friends, is a whole different kind of breakthrough.