This paper presents six experiments evaluating personalization and user tracking in web search engine results. The experiments involve comparing search results based on VPN location (including UAE vs others), logged-in status, network type, search engine, browser, and trained Google accounts. The study measures total hits, first hit, and correlation between hits to identify patterns of personalization. Why it matters: The findings shed light on the extent of filter bubble effects and potential biases in search results for users in the UAE and globally.
KAUST is developing AI-driven personalized learning and testing platforms to address STEM education resource gaps in Saudi Arabia. The project involves building an intelligent tutoring system in collaboration with Saudi high schools, the Ministry of Education, and SDAIA. The AI tutor, designed in a Socratic style, enhances learning through GenAI tutoring, including in Arabic, and supports teachers by generating test and homework problems. Why it matters: This initiative aims to prepare Saudi youth for future workforce demands and enhance educational outcomes, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030's goals for human capital development.
Eran Segal from Weizmann Institute of Science presented The Human Phenotype Project, a large-scale prospective cohort with over 10,000 participants. The project aims to identify novel molecular markers and develop prediction models for disease onset using deep profiling. The profiling includes medical history, lifestyle, blood tests, and molecular profiling of the transcriptome, genetics, microbiome, metabolome and immune system. Why it matters: Such projects demonstrate the growing focus on personalized medicine in the region, utilizing advanced AI and machine learning techniques for disease prevention and treatment.
Ekaterina Kochmar from the University of Bath presented the Korbit Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), an AI-powered dialogue-based platform providing personalized learning experiences. A comparative study showed that students using Korbit achieved 2-2.5 times higher learning gains and higher completion rates compared to a traditional MOOC platform. Kochmar is also a co-founder and CSO of Korbit AI. Why it matters: The research highlights the potential of AI to deliver personalized education and significantly improve learning outcomes in online STEM education, an area of focus for many GCC universities.
KAUST's 2020 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) focused on 'Personalized Medicine' with lectures and workshops from international and local speakers. Topics ranged from health management technology to digital health, encompassing various disciplines at KAUST. HRH Dr. Maha Bint Mishari AlSaud and Rene Frydman were among the keynote speakers. Why it matters: The program highlights KAUST's commitment to advancing precision medicine and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare innovation within the Kingdom.
Professor Eran Segal presented The Human Phenotype Project, a longitudinal cohort study with over 10,000 participants. The project aims to identify molecular markers and develop prediction models for disease using deep profiling techniques including medical history, lifestyle, blood tests, and microbiome analysis. The study provides insights into drivers of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, identifying novel markers at the microbiome, metabolite, and immune system level. Why it matters: Such large-scale phenotyping initiatives could inform personalized medicine approaches relevant to the Middle East's specific health challenges.
Researchers from the National Center for AI in Saudi Arabia investigated the sensitivity of Large Language Model (LLM) leaderboards to minor benchmark perturbations. They found that small changes, like choice order, can shift rankings by up to 8 positions. The study recommends hybrid scoring and warns against over-reliance on simple benchmark evaluations, providing code for further research.
A new benchmark, LongShOTBench, is introduced for evaluating multimodal reasoning and tool use in long videos, featuring open-ended questions and diagnostic rubrics. The benchmark addresses the limitations of existing datasets by combining temporal length and multimodal richness, using human-validated samples. LongShOTAgent, an agentic system, is also presented for analyzing long videos, with both the benchmark and agent demonstrating the challenges faced by state-of-the-art MLLMs.