AlMarri on giving back and forging his own path

Doctoral student Salem AlMarri wants to use his knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and passion to give back to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through synergies found in his research, his employer, and his new youth council appointment.He is one of seven talented young individuals who have been chosen to play an instrumental role in the development and growth of his city as a new member of the Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025.

Completing a Ph.D. in computer vision at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), AlMarri is on secondment from Dubai Police, where he has been a serving police officer since 2016.

AlMarri was selected last year ahead of 200 other MBZUAI students to be Master of Ceremonies (MC) at the university’s inaugural commencement, attended by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

My goal is to develop solutions that will in the end, combat crimes, reduce response times of police patrols, or emergency services, for example…and even save lives.

In 2019, AlMarri was recognized as one of the UAE’s up and coming scientist at the Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Program for Excellence and Community Intelligence. He accepted a medal of individual excellence for winning first place in the ‘Science and Future Technology Category’ from UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

A passionate Emirati, AlMarri believes in giving back to the UAE, which he says has given him so much.

“Safety, security, opportunity,” AlMarri says. “I don’t think I can ever give back enough.

“That’s why I am thrilled to be able to serve on the Dubai Youth Council and use it as a platform for innovation and advancement. I live in Dubai and after completing my bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering, I became a police officer with Dubai Police before going on to complete a masters in the same field.

“With Dubai and the UAE, a leader in smart city innovation, I was noticing new trends, from applications to robotics, and I always felt behind. I was uncomfortable about it, and then came this opportunity to be a student at MBZUAI and it has transformed my life.

“Studying at MBZUAI has filled me with pride in so many ways. Firstly, I am no longer behind. I have filled my knowledge gap when it comes to AI. I always studied hard, and I was proud of my degrees, but I wanted to do something exceptional and forge my own unique path.”

And AlMarri’s path will see him trailblazing the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which progresses international collaboration in finding solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges experienced in people’s everyday lives, both personally and professionally.

“This university encapsulates the UAE’s vision for progress through collaboration and this fills me with pride,” Al Marri said.

“To research AI, in-line with the government agenda. I thought – this could be my opportunity – and at last I could be ahead of my time. It has given me the opportunity to explore the possibilities of AI in ways I never imagined.”

The field of computer vision has endless possibilities for real-life implementation into law enforcement and security. AlMarri chose to focus his research on anomaly detection – a term he admits he could not define until he started studying it.

“At first, I didn’t even understand what the words stood for – ‘anomaly’ – what could be abnormal and how could we define it?” he reflects.

“But I realised AI can be used to detect abnormal circumstances and situations. In law enforcement, for example, this could be applied for CCTV cameras. With smart city infrastructure, cities have cameras virtually everywhere. But they are not there to collect our personal data. They are there to ensure our safety.

“My goal is to develop solutions that will in the end, combat crimes, reduce response times of police patrols, or emergency services, for example…and even save lives.”

Following his doctorate, AlMarri plans to take his knowledge and implement it into his workplace for the betterment of society.

“I hope my research findings help with potentially reducing response times to incidents. Reporting incidents takes time and should not be necessary as they can be recognized by anomaly detection frameworks,” AlMarri added.

“AI can make this happen. My research opened my mind to the possibilities for smart cities powered by AI. There are so many possibilities for applications that improve crime prevention and law enforcement. AI is a gamechanger.”

MBZUAI congratulates AlMarri on his selection by The Executive Council of Dubai, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Youth, to the sixth cycle of the council.

The formation of the new Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025 ensures that youth are represented in the decision-making process and are empowered to solve challenges and shape a prosperous future; all important goals of fellow students at MBZUAI.