The UAE has launched a $1 million international award for robotics and artificial intelligence aiming to solve challenges in education, healthcare and social services at the ongoing Government Summit in Dubai.

The third Government Summit, which brings together world leaders and nearly 4,000 attendees from 93 countries for plenaries and panel discussions about how innovation and technology can make governments more effective, opened on February 8 and is concluding today (February 11) at Madinat Jumeirah.

Winners will be selected at the 2016 Government Summit in Dubai.

The 'AI and Robotics Award for Good' competition allows entrants to combine robotics, artificial intelligence, healthcare technology, advanced education technology and other areas to develop robots which have the potential to dramatically improve how governments meet citizens' needs. While the technical requirements will be announced shortly, the real boundaries are only in the imagination of entrants.

In opening the chase for the award, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs for the UAE government, encouraged researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators to be creative in their thinking.

"Our goal is to harness science and technology to promote a better life for people and enhance happiness in communities,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

Al Gergawi said: "This competition will put the best minds in the world to the test, challenging them to incorporate the latest technologies and develop new ones. The possibilities are limitless, from improving life for those with disabilities, to transforming education, to aiding with complex tasks such as fire-fighting, construction work and social care."

The award was launched in the Museum of Future Government Services, an exhibition with interactive learning labs, concepts of self-driving cars and virtual reality tools. – TradeArabia News Service