His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited the 10th edition of Expand North Star 2025, the world’s largest event for startups and investors. Organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the event is taking place at Dubai Harbour from 12 to 15 October.
His Highness praised Expand North Star as a global platform that connects the world’s brightest entrepreneurial minds with investors, accelerating the growth of the startup ecosystem and the digital economy. He noted that the exhibition reflects Dubai’s vision to inspire innovation, empower talent, and create boundless opportunities for the future.
His Highness said: “Expand North Star embodies Dubai’s aspirations to build the world’s most dynamic digital economy, where ambition meets innovation, and ideas evolve into ventures that shape a better tomorrow. The exhibition reaffirms Dubai’s position as a global incubator for talent and investment, an environment that transforms creativity into tangible achievements enhancing competitiveness, sustainability, and quality of life.”
His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; His Excellency Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers; and Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.
Exploring innovation During his visit, His Highness toured several national and corporate pavilions, met with investors and representatives of leading technology and AI firms, and interacted with leaders of unicorn startups.
He began his tour at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) pavilion, where he was briefed on initiatives supporting the knowledge economy, next-generation communications, and digital infrastructure, enabling AI and Internet-of-Things innovations. At the Dutch pavilion, His Highness reviewed startups focused on clean and deep technologies and the research partnerships that foster sustainability and innovation. He also visited the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy pavilion, where he was briefed on initiatives to empower entrepreneurs, enhance access to funding, and attract global talent to Dubai’s startup ecosystem.
Strengthening investor connections His Highness met with 15 investors in technology and AI-focused companies. Discussions addressed global investment trends in transformative technologies and the opportunities Dubai offers for developing innovative business models. His Highness highlighted the emirate’s initiatives to strengthen connections between venture capital funds and startups, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global hub for innovation and investment.
Empowering unicorns Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed also met with representatives of unicorn startups to discuss strategies for their international expansion out of Dubai, as well as the importance of cross-sector partnerships in accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies. Discussions covered policies that support sustainable growth, talent development, and easier access to capital and markets.
Dialogue session His Highness attended a dialogue session featuring His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama and Yasir Khan, Editor-in-Chief of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The session explored ‘The Next Decade of Startup Innovation’ and the UAE’s role as a global startup centre. Discussions highlighted how companies in AI, deep technology, and digital platforms will drive the next wave of growth, as well as the role of advanced infrastructure and flexible regulatory frameworks in transforming Dubai into a launchpad for global enterprises.
Global platform for innovation Part of GITEX GLOBAL 2025, Expand North Star brings together 2,000 of the world’s most promising startups — including 40 unicorns — and more than 1,200 investors from 180 countries managing assets exceeding $ 1.1 trillion.
The four-day event features a comprehensive programme of summits and interactive zones showcasing innovation and investment opportunities in future-critical sectors. Highlights include the GITEX ScaleX Ventures Summit, the Climate Capital Summit, the GITEX Digital Assets Forum, the Future Blockchain Summit, which spotlights breakthroughs in Web3, fintech, and digital technologies, and the second edition of the Supernova Challenge 2.0, the world’s largest startup pitch competition, with a total prize pool exceeding US$300,000. .
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To most people, being $12 million in debt sounds like an absolute nightmare. But for Michael Elefante and his wife, it’s the price of financial freedom.
In a recent X post (1), Elefante told his story. He and his wife walked away from six-figure jobs, borrowed hundreds of thousands to buy their first home in Nashville, and listed it on Airbnb. The gamble paid off. The property earned enough to cover the mortgage and then some.
Six years and 11 houses later, they claim to be earning $50,000 to $100,000 a month from short-term rentals — all while carrying millions in debt from their multiple mortgages.
Their message is simple: Instead of fearing debt, use it to buy assets and let those assets pay for your life. It’s a bold strategy, but is their attractive lifestyle a model to follow or a dangerous bet that could collapse under the wrong conditions?
On the surface, the pros are clear.
Elefante and his wife leveraged debt to buy income-producing assets and create financial freedom, allowing them to focus on family, travel and experiences. For those who value time and don’t want to work the 9-to-5 grind, it’s an appealing trade-off.
But the risks should be examined. Carrying $12 million in debt means their success depends entirely on Airbnb listings. Basing your income on another platform’s whims is always risky — if tourism slows, regulations tighten or expenses rise, they’re still on the hook for all 12 mortgages.
If any of their homes were impacted by natural disasters, the income they depend on would be suddenly limited. Even something as simple as a pipe bursting could have an oversized effect on their budget.
And while the couple claims they work only a few hours a week, the reality is likely more complex. Managing multiple properties typically requires full-time attention or the services of an expensive property manager.
On top of that, Elefante has built a side business around teaching others how to follow in his footsteps. He sells books, online courses and content that walk aspiring investors through the process, which suggests that their workload may be more demanding than it appears [2].
In short, managing multiple properties can be complicated — and sometimes you need a little bit of extra support.
That’s where Baselane can help you manage your properties more efficiently. Baselane can save investors an average of $5,000 a year through automated rent payments, visibility improvements and built-in financial tools. Its AI-powered bookkeeping software could even shave up to 150 hours off of your spreadsheet labor a year, depending on the size of your portfolio.
Even better, Baselane is already trusted by 50,000 plus real estate investors.
Baselane’s Core tier includes accounting, tax packages, Schedule E reports and automated rent and late fee reminders for free. You can even sign up today and get a 30-day free trial of their Smart tier, including fast rent deposits in 2 business days and VIP priority support.
Read more: US car insurance costs have surged 50% from 2020 to 2024 — this simple 2-minute check could put hundreds back in your pocket
Most people can’t walk into a bank without a job and qualify for the $420,000 mortgage Elefante used to get started. It’s worth noting that Elefante grew up in Chapel Hill, NC, a well-off area with strong schools, attended the prestigious Elon University (3), and both he and his wife had six-figure jobs before they began their Airbnb venture (4).
That doesn’t make his success impossible to replicate, but it does make it harder for the average person to follow in their footsteps.
Airbnb can also be unpredictable (5). Cities across the U.S. are tightening short-term rental laws, and oversupply in popular markets has already reduced bookings (6) and could cut into host profits.
A recession or shift in travel patterns could quickly change the math, which is an important consideration right now when travel to the U.S. is down (7). And, offloading those homes to get out of the mortgages if needed might not be easy as interest rates rise (8).
If you’re considering an Airbnb investment strategy for yourself, it’s important to start small and keep the risks low. Consider renting out a room or ADU (accessory dwelling unit) on your current property first to test rental demand. This can also help you learn the ropes before taking on a whole mortgage.
Before jumping in, ask yourself:
Can I afford the mortgage if bookings dry up?
Do I have cash reserves for repairs, vacancies or slow seasons?
Am I comfortable being a landlord or paying someone else to do it?
What are the local laws on short-term rentals?
Are there any laws in the works that might impact short-term rentals?
The reality is, you don’t need to buy property outright to benefit from investing in real estate. For instance, direct access to the $22.5 trillion commercial real estate sector was long limited to a select group of elite investors — until now.
First National Realty Partners (FNRP) allows accredited investors to diversify their portfolio through grocery-anchored commercial properties, without taking on the responsibilities of being a landlord.
With a minimum investment of $50,000, investors can own a share of properties leased by national brands like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart, which provide essential goods to their communities. Thanks to triple net leases, accredited investors are able to invest in these properties without worrying about tenant costs cutting into their potential returns.
Simply answer a few questions — including how much you would like to invest — to start browsing their full list of available properties.
And if you’re looking for consistent rental income, just like the Elefantes, you don’t need to go into debt or even lock in a mortgage. You can invest in shares of vacation homes or rental properties through Arrived.
Backed by world-class investors, including Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of vacation and rental properties, earning a passive income stream without the extra work that comes with being a landlord of your own rental property.
To get started, simply browse through their selection of vetted properties, each picked for its potential appreciation and income generation. Once you choose a property, you can start investing with as little as $100, potentially earning quarterly dividends.
For most people, the safest path to this type of financial freedom is through gradual growth. Build equity in your current home, save aggressively and scale up after building a financial cushion. While Elefante’s path isn’t impossible to follow, it may not be as easy to replicate as his online content makes it seem.
Taking on millions in debt can create a lifestyle of freedom, but it can just as easily backfire. The line between financial independence and financial ruin often comes down to the financial resources that you start with, timing and risk tolerance.
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@melefante6 (1); Skool (2); Elon University (3); Michael Elefante (4); Bloomberg (5); Air Hosts Forum (6); The Associated Press (7); FRED (8)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process
During the preparation of this work, the author used Claude 3.5 Sonnet to provide editorial feedback to improve clarity and readability. After using this tool, the author reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes full responsibility for the content of the published article.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made significant inroads into health care, demonstrating capabilities that complement and challenge traditional pharmacy practices. For instance, AI tools trained on clinical notes from electronic health records (EHRs) provided clinical predictions—including in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission—with accuracy exceeding state-of-the-art risk scores.1 AI interpretation of routine imaging (eg, chest x-rays) has the potential to provide comprehensive disease risk assessments, including risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.2 Electrocardiogram interpretation by an AI tool, flagging high-risk patients and notifying physicians, was found to reduce patient mortality.3 Additionally, patient assessments of responses to their questions found that those from AI chatbots were of higher quality than those from physicians.4
Turning to pharmacy, current and future AI applications include drug safety, pharmacy operations, precision medicine, drug reference navigation, clinical surveillance, and electronic clinical quality measures.5,6 Looking forward, AI has the potential to use comprehensive patient-specific data such as EHRs, imaging, omics, and real-time monitoring data, in combination with medical domain expertise built on a foundation of medical literature to support caregivers in a variety of clinical tasks.7
As these AI-driven innovations continue to integrate into medical and pharmacy practice, critical questions emerge: What becomes of the pharmacist’s role? Where can the pharmacist fit into this new paradigm to provide value supporting safe and effective medication use? To see the path forward, it is helpful to first look backward.
Pharmacy’s Historical Adaptability
The pharmacy profession has a long history of evolving to meet health care needs. Over the decades, we have witnessed the emergence of specialized roles—drug information specialists, informatics pharmacists, and pharmacogenomics specialists—that did not exist previously but were created to address specific needs in the health care system. When a gap was identified between the health care team’s capabilities and the patient’s needs, pharmacists developed the drug information, information technology, and genomic expertise to fill those needs.
Illustrations of pharmacy’s adaptability are limited to not only the emergence of new roles but also the evolution of skills required for the role of any pharmacist. Before the emergence of electronic medical records (EMRs) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE), pharmacists were routinely tasked with interpreting handwritten prescriptions. Due to the influx of hurriedly scribbled prescriptions, pharmacists needed to accurately interpret such prescriptions to maintain efficient pharmacy operations. This skill, which was only tangentially related to medication expertise, became essential for pharmacists then. With EMRs and CPOE, this skill has all but vanished from the modern pharmacist’s arsenal. Computer skills are another example. While these had little value in pharmacy about 40 years ago, now they can dramatically impact the productivity of a pharmacist. Valuable skills for pharmacists will continue to evolve, and what present-day skills will become obsolete remains to be seen.
Adaptability has been a hallmark of the pharmacy profession, allowing pharmacists to remain integral to health care teams despite technological and systemic changes. As we stand on the brink of an AI alteration in health care, this adaptability will again be tested.
Emerging Gaps, Evolving Roles, and Preparing for an AI-Enhanced Future
As AI reshapes the health care landscape, new gaps will emerge between AI’s capabilities and patients’ needs. Given the plethora of possibilities, the challenges of regulatory approval, and the complexity of implementing new technology into health care delivery, it is nearly impossible to predict where AI will impact practice. If the dawn of AI in health care looks anything like the emergence of technology into any other industry, it will not fulfill its full potential in one fell swoop. Imperfect AI applications will emerge sporadically and improve iteratively over the years. This means that the gaps for pharmacists are likely unpredictable and unstable.
In the setting of this uncertainty, high-level skills that are broadly useful to a diverse set of scenarios will be most valuable. The following tasks are well-suited to leverage pharmacists’ clinical expertise while incorporating new technological competencies: AI education and implementation, loop oversight, human-on-the-loop oversight (quality assurance), and interdisciplinary collaboration (Table).6,8 To thrive in this evolving landscape, the pharmacy profession must proactively prepare for an AI-enhanced future through education and continuous learning, hands-on experience, and advocacy and leadership.
Conclusion
The arrival of AI in health care presents challenges and opportunities for the pharmacy profession. Although some traditional roles may be transformed, pharmacists have the potential to adapt and evolve alongside these technological advancements.
By embracing change, acquiring new skills, and positioning themselves at the forefront of AI integration in health care, pharmacists can continue to fill crucial gaps in the health care system. The future of pharmacy in the AI era is about leveraging technology to enhance capabilities and improve patient outcomes.
About the Author
Steven Smoke, PharmD, is the clinical informatics pharmacist at RWJBarnabas Health in West Orange, New Jersey.
The AI transformation in health care represents a significant shift in how we approach medication management and patient care. By actively engaging with these changes and helping to shape the integration of AI in health care, pharmacists can work toward maintaining a crucial role in the evolving health care ecosystem.
REFERENCES
Jiang LY, Liu XC, Nejatian NP, et al. Health system–scale language models are all-purpose prediction engines. Nature. 2023;619(7969):357-362. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06160-y
Topol EJ. AI-enabled opportunistic medical scan interpretation. Lancet. 2024;403(10439):1842. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00924-3
Lin CS, Liu WT, Tsai DJ, et al. AI-enabled electrocardiography alert intervention and all-cause mortality: a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. Nat Med. 2024;30(5):1461-1470. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-02961-4
Ayers JW, Poliak A, Dredze M, et al. Comparing physician and artificial intelligence chatbot responses to patient questions posted to a public social media forum. JAMA Intern Med. 2023;183(6):589-596. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.1838
Wong A, Wentz E, Palisano N, et al. Role of artificial intelligence in pharmacy practice: a narrative review. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2023;6(11):1237-1250. doi:10.1002/jac5.1856
Smoke S. Artificial intelligence in pharmacy: a guide for clinicians. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2024;81(14):641-646. doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxae051
Moor M, Banerjee O, Abad ZSH, et al. Foundation models for generalist medical artificial intelligence. Nature. 2023;616(7956):259-265. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05881-4
Nelson SD, Walsh CG, Olsen CA, et al. Demystifying artificial intelligence in pharmacy. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2020;77(19):1556-1570. doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxaa218
Electricity generated from renewable sources has surpassed the amount of electricity generated from coal in Australia for the first time.
In September electricity from solar, wind hydro and biomass totalled 9.24 terawatt hours, compared with 8.8 terawatt hours from burning coal, according to data from the energy thinktank Ember.
Click here for an audio accessible version of the chart.
According to Renew Economy, the monthly record for renewables was in part due to strong electricity production from windfarms in Tasmania, and strong electricity production from solar farms around Australia.
Electricity generation from renewables also surpassed coal globally in the first half of 2025.
Artificial intelligence sure has been taking a lot of flak lately.
Only 8.5% of the 48,000 people recently surveyed by accounting firm KPMG said that they “always” trust AI search results. Another report from Gartner found that more than half of consumers don’t trust AI searches, with most reporting “significant” mistakes.
A McKinsey study found that 80% of companies using generative AI have seen “no significant bottom-line impact”, with 42% of them literally abandoning their AI projects. An MIT study found that 95% of the AI pilot projects at the big companies they surveyed “failed”.
And now there’s workslop!
A new study published in the Harvard Business Review says that more than 40% of US-based full-time employees reported receiving AI-generated content that “masquerades as good work but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task”. This “workslop” is “destroying productivity”, according to the study’s researchers.
Who is really to blame for workslop? Sure, blame big tech companies for yet again releasing untested and unproven products before they’re ready for prime time. Or the media and tech community who, for the past three years, have been writing pieces like Yahoo Japan wants all its 11,000 employees to use Gen AI to double their productivity by 2028 or AI will replace doctors, teachers, and make humans “unnecessary for most things”. All of this creates a lot of unnecessary hype and unfounded expectations.
But in the workplace, the buck always stops with the boss. The responsibility for AI’s “workslop” lies fully at the feet of the employer.
For more than 20 years, my company has implemented customer relationship and financial management applications at hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses across the country. We’ve worked with thousands of employees. We’ve had good projects and straight-out failures. As a technology consultant, we’ve made our share of mistakes. But the most common root cause of technology disappointments, failures and letdowns can always be found with the people who are buying and implementing the product.
So before throwing shade at software companies rolling out AI, I think it’s fair to ask employers a few questions.
For example, did you invest in training for your employees? Do your employees truly understand how to create the right prompts in order to get the best answers? Has your company standardized on an AI assistant or is it just a free-for-all mess of apps?
Do you have an AI policy that formalizes what AI can and cannot be used for and who can and cannot use it? Do you have a designated person in your company who is responsible for your AI-based applications? Has this person been trained and provided technical support to do this job? Are you working with a competent partner, consultant or developer to provide these kinds of services?
Most importantly, do you actually have a plan for using this technology effectively or are you just leaving it up to your employees to figure it all out? Do you have specific metrics for measuring AI’s effectiveness, or are you just relying on vague assumptions of “productivity”?
Unfortunately, many employers are duped by big tech into thinking that they just press a button and their software starts doing magical things that spew out money for their business. But, in order not to scare people away, these same tech companies don’t warn their customers of all the other things that need to happen – and money that needs to be spent – in order to maximize the use of their product. In most cases, the software is not the problem. It’s the lack of investment in the people using it.
AI can be a powerful tool if deployed the right way and with the right expectations. But in the end it’s just that: a tool. And new tools require thought, training, processes and investment. In the end, AI doesn’t produce “workslop”. Employers do.
Publishing a website is still more complicated than it has any right to be, but the best website builders streamline the process. Instead of juggling a bunch of files on a server and learning the ins and outs of networking, website builders do exactly what’s written on the tin. Piece by piece, using a drag-and-drop interface, you can design your website the way you want with immediate feedback, rather than spending time buried in code and hoping it comes out on the other end.
There are dozens of website builders, and most of them range from decent to straight-up bad. Any web host with a bit of ambition has a website builder floating around, even if it’s slow, clunky, and lacking features. I focused on finding the best tools for building your website that go beyond just an add-on, and these are my favorites. If you’re after something simpler than a full-blown website, check out our list of the Best Portfolio Websites.
Table of Contents
Best Website Builder for Most
Squarespace via Jacob Roach
You’ve heard of Squarespace over and over again, I’m sure, and that’s not an accident. It’s an inviting website builder that made a name for itself with bold, striking templates. Beneath the veneer of attractive, but seemingly simple, websites, you’ll find one of the most capable website builders on the market. That balance of power and usability is what sets Squarespace apart.
It feels like a creative tool. Where other website builders lag and stutter to get a new element on your page, Squarespace feels fluid. Your dashboard gives you quick access to edit your site, and around every corner, Squarespace feels designed so you never have to look up a tutorial. I started a simple photography website, and within an hour, I had a custom course page set up, an appointment schedule with automated confirmation emails, and services (with pricing and the ability to accept payments) configured.
Squarespace isn’t cheap, but it also doesn’t meddle in restrictive, low-cost plans. Even on the Basic plan, you have access to ecommerce tools and space for multiple contributors.
Squarespace Pricing and Plans
Best Cheap Website Builder
Hostinger via Jacob Roach
Hostinger is better known as a web hosting provider, but it has a surprisingly robust website builder that you can use on its own or for free as part of a hosting package. You don’t get the same world-class template design and dense feature-set of a more expensive builder like Squarespace, but that’s OK. Hostinger’s website builder will run you just a few bucks a month, and based on my testing, it feels heavily angled toward newcomers.
You sacrifice some power for convenience, but there’s an awful lot you can accomplish with Hostinger. Integrations with PayPal, Stripe, and Square allow you to quickly set up e-commerce. Add-ons with WhatsApp give you live chat capabilities, and Printful support means you can sell print-on-demand merchandise. And, if you outgrow the website builder, Hostinger allows you to export your website’s content to WordPress.
Where Hostinger wins for me is through its AI tools. Just about every website builder these days has AI integrated in some way, but it’s around every corner at Hostinger. You need to pay extra for some of these AI features—the logo generator, for example, requires credits—but they give you a great starting point for mocking up the look, feel, and tone of your website.
Hostinger Pricing and Plans
Best for Small Businesses
Wix via Jacob Roach
Wix is undoubtedly the biggest competitor to Squarespace, and I had a hard time putting one above the other. Ultimately, Wix ended up in the backseat due to higher prices and a slightly less intuitive interface. That’s partly because of how powerful Wix is. Rather than corral you in an elegant (if restrictive) website-building workflow, Wix gives you a ton of options.
First, templates. You get a few hundred elsewhere, but Wix offers over 2,000 templates. At the time of writing, there are 223 pages of them on Wix’s website. They aren’t all winners, but I was able to mock up a quick photography portfolio website within a few minutes by browsing the templates and uploading a few photos.
