Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

This is how Dubai startups are training AI to be more human and unbiased

This is how Dubai startups are training AI to be more human and unbiased

As global dependence on digital technology grows rapidly, brands explore how they can reach consumers better with more humanised technology, and Dubai startups train AI with what they call ethical data to gain the trust of its users.


The COVID-19 pandemic saw a drastic increase in the global dependency on digital technology, yet some types of human-computer interactions (HCI) require more human focus to succeed.

In the Middle East, consumers are increasingly using the internet to buy food, meet each other, and learn in digital spaces. But one industry isn’t faring so well online.

The regional apparel industry fell sharply since early 2020 according to McKinsey & Company, which identified that consumers shopping online for customised items, such as clothing and beauty products, need more personal attention.

Emotional shopping


Dubai-based software provider GetBEE, says it has created the first personalised network for brands to engage with customers on a more human, and immersive level.

Shoppers can view, rate, and receive face-to-face guidance through a video call from their chosen salesperson. Within the call, users can receive direct instructions on how to take their measurements properly and receive a second opinion on items in their virtual shopping cart.

CEO of Getbee


Thea Myhrvold, GetBEE’s founder and CEO, says that despite global fashion profits plummeting in 2020, online retail apparel sales increased by 28% on average in a matter of months for nearly 20 brands using their platform.

“People buy from people at the end of the day,” says Myhrvold, a former schoolteacher turned serial entrepreneur, who believes similar empathy applies to education as well as to retail.

“86% of customers prefer dealing with a person over a chatbot. And that's why this personalised emotional purchasing experience truly works.”

Chalhoub Middle East represents luxury retail clients including Lancôme and Faces. The regional distributor says humanising online platforms welcomed a new wave of shoppers during lockdown measures.

“It helped us survive,” says Aleksandra Harciarek, an omni-channel project manager at Chalhoub Group.

“It helped us generate results that would not be there if we would stay, just waiting for our IT to build e-commerce platforms for us.”

Biased technology


While the retail industry creates technology with more relatable output, a demand to input human values in complex systems such as machine learning systems is growing.

Technology including artificial intelligence is dependent on the information its developers teach it, which can lead to human issues of bias and unethical practices if not regulated.

In 2015, Amazon’s AI recruiting engine determined that resumes with the word “women’s” were less preferable.

A 2018 MIT study found facial recognition algorithms had higher detection errors towards Black people compared to White people.

After opposition protests, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon refused to sell their facial analysing software to US police in 2020, for fear of racial profiling and mass surveillance.

Despite this, only 25% of businesses consider ethical implications before investing in AI according to Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), which estimates that the technology will contribute about 13 trillion euros to the global economy by 2030.

Inputting values


Datumcon trains AI neural networks to ensure safe oil drilling, track mask and social distancing compliance, and detect human emotion with sentiment analysis.

Cesar Andres Lopez, Datumcon’s CEO, says AI is superior to humans at performing specific tasks such as differentiating between a cat and a dog. Human guidance is essential for more complex tasks such as detecting emotions, yet he adds, it can welcome human bias at the same time if not trained properly.

CEO, Datumcon


“This is one of the big problems that we have in the future,” says Lopez, who explains that the key to preventing bias is using localisation to train neural networks how to think.

“We make sure that the data tagging is coming from local people because we want to be able to reflect the local characteristics of the data,” he says, using data sets that truly represent a society’s class, age, ethnic, and gender variety.

Datumcon enters samples from about 30 000 various faces to teach the detection of each basic emotion used in their sentiment analysis technology.

Once completed, the results are overseen by an in-house psychologist for accuracy.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×