MANY people try to keep a poker face when playing cards, but not when looking at adverts. Hamzeh al-Fuqha, an Emirati, turned this simple fact into a money-spinner. SmartAd, founded in 2012, uses facial recognition technology to tell businesses how people respond to their marketing. The software, used by Burger King among others, can also tell the age and sex of the viewer. It is a rare example of real innovation coming from the Arab world.
The region was once famed for its science and mathematics (including the invention of the zero). Yet it has fallen badly behind on measures of creativity, such as patents filed or academic papers published. Its rulers say they want to encourage more research and development (R&D), but few seem to try very hard.
Arab countries produce 5.9% of the world’s GDP, but the region’s governments account for less than 1% of total global R&D spending, according to UNESCO. Bahrain spends just 0.04% of GDP; Egypt spends 0.7% (see chart). By contrast India spends about 0.8% and Britain 1.6%.
Much of this is wasted. In Egypt government officials and scientists don’t talk much, so money...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/24kJkSc
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