Emotional intelligence

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

El Sisi heads to Saudi to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Good afternoon, friends, and congratulations on making it to the weekend. We’ve got a brisk issue for you today as we wrap up the workweek.

THE BIG STORY TODAY-

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. El Sisi is set to meet with the crown prince in Saudi Arabia today in a bid to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries and discuss “regional and international issues of mutual concern,” according to a statement by the spokesman for the presidency. The meeting will be held in Neom, where the president and the crown prince will examine the latest developments in the region, most notably the war in Gaza, as well as security matters pertaining to the Red Sea.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

It’s another day with a mixed bag of headlines in the international press, with no single story dominating the news.

The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges and prosecutors, in a bid to pressure the court for its targeting of Israeli leaders and investigation of US officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office then issued a statement welcoming the US sanctions, Reuters reports.

The latest sanctions follow earlier ones imposed by the US on four other judges and the ICC prosecutor in June. The ICC rejected the sanctions, referring to the US’ move as a “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.” (Reuters | BBC | Guardian | CNN)

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- We’re in for another mild day in Cairo, with temperatures set to peak at 36°C, before cooling down to 23°C. Up north, it’s cooler weather all around, with a high of 29°C and a low of 27°C, according to our favorite weather app.

AI struggles with emotional intelligence

? AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude have been making headlines for their unhealthy influences. The models have famously been known to induce emotional overdependence and “AI psychosis" in susceptible users. An MIT paper shared with Wired proposes a new benchmark for emotional intelligence that measures the psychological impact of AI. The issue highlights yet another human element that seems beyond AI’s reach. Could some system fine-tuning help AI achieve emotional intelligence?

With GPT-5’s recent update, users have been complaining about the model’s new personality, describing it as “more technical” and “emotionally distant.” Although the upgrade was marketed as having PhD-level intelligence, its performance apparently didn’t fit the bill for emotional intelligence. In response to previous models’ “ sycophantic ” behavior, OpenAI opted for a more business-like, less agreeable personality in their new model.

AI with metacognition. The new benchmark proposed by MIT includes testing AI’s ability to help users develop healthy social habits, critical thinking and reasoning skills, as well as encourage creativity and stimulate a sense of purpose. The benchmark intends to make AI systems aware when they’re dealing with users who show signs of addiction to artificial romantic relationships or who are too emotionally attached to their output. The ultimate test for a truly “smart” model would be in effectively recognizing when it has a negative psychological effect on its users — and ideally inspiring healthier behavior.

Bringing human judgement into the mix. Researchers in the study used AI models to measure the chatbots’ emotional intelligence. The test simulates human-like interactions that challenge the bots, and then brings in real humans to score the model’s performance. One of the benchmarks used by MIT is LM Arena, a popular platform that allows humans to evaluate performances of different models.

Finding a balance. While the goal is to rule out addiction-triggering qualities in these models, their ability to give emotional support is still a priority for AI developers. If these benchmarks prove successful, a chatbot will be able to perceive psychological nuance and know how to support its users in a “respectful” way.

Past Lives is an exploration of love and fate

? Does the heart always get what it wants? Oscar-nominated film Past Lives is a dreamlike experience that takes viewers on a journey through time as they observe the lives of two people once brought together by love before being pulled apart by life. The film, directed by Canadian filmmaker Celine Song, is her debut feature, and has received wide acclaim.

The plot: Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) are childhood friends in South Korea who find themselves in love. Fate, however, has other plans as Nora moves to the US with her family, and they find themselves separated. Years later, after feeble attempts to stay in touch, Nora is now a freelance writer living in New York with her fellow writer husband Arthur (John Magaro). Meanwhile, Hae Sung — now an engineer — has never forgotten his first love. After years of absence, he visits New York, where he reunites with Nora.

Longing for a life that never was: In a tender story about the tragedy of lost love defeated by time and circumstance, we get to know the three main characters, sympathise with each, understand their motives, and even find ourselves in them at times. The story explores the concept of fate, or the philosophy of In-Yun, as Nora explains in one scene. The term refers to the bond between two people linked by destiny. Fate is what drives Nora and Hae Sung apart, and is what brings them back together.

It’s not black or white. Song’s passion toward her story and her characters is shown best through Arthur, Nora’s husband, who fears being left behind in favor of an unfulfilled past love. While it’s easy to turn a character like Arthur into a villain and an obstacle, Magaro’s portrayal and Song’s writing make viewers understand Arthur and sympathize with him. The writing proves masterful, neither demonizing nor idealizing anyone. While viewers may hope for a happy ending for the childhood lovers, they’re also aware that such an ending would be cruel to Arthur, who has done nothing but love his wife sincerely.

It’s a film for the dreamers among us. Past Lives is a gentle, romantic cinematic experience that takes its characters seriously. It conveys a difficult truth to the audience: not all our hearts’ desires can come true. The film is a beautiful work that we have found ourselves returning to again and again, cementing itself as worthy of being an icon of contemporary cinema.

WHERE TO WATCH: You can stream Past Lives on OSN+. Catch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:24).

It’s another sports-packed weekend

⚽ The third round of the Nile League concludes tonight with three matches, with Al Ahly not participating on account of the increased number of league teams this season, which is now 21.

Zamalek and Modern Sport face off at 9pm, vying for the top spot. The White Knight has four points under its belt from the first two rounds, following victory over Ceramica Cleopatra and a draw with Al Mokawloon. Zamalek has its eyes set on seven points to reach the top alongside Al Masry.

ALSO- Al Mokawloon (one point) are set to go head to head with Haras El Hodoud (three points) at 6pm, with Zed (four points) and Smouha (two points) facing off later at 9pm.

The second round of the English Premier League will kick off tomorrow evening as Chelsea faces West Ham at 10pm. The Blues are on the hunt for their first victory of the season, after their match against Crystal Palace ended in a draw. West Ham, on the other hand, is looking to save face after a rough 3-0 defeat to Sunderland in the first week.

All eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as Man City hosts Tottenham Hotspur in a highly anticipated match at 2:30pm. The Citizens opened their season with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton, while Spurs hope to keep their winning streak going, following a first-round 3-0 victory over Burnley.

Arsenal — last season’s runner-up — is set to host Leeds at the Emirates stadium later at 7:30pm, after the Gunners kicked things off with an away victory against Manchester United. Whereas Leeds, following a two-year absence from the league, managed to snag a 3-0 victory against Everton in their opening match.

More matches on our radar this Saturday at 5pm:

Burnley vs. Sunderland
Bournemouth vs. Wolverhampton
Aston Villa vs. Brentford.

**Don’t miss out on the fierce competition in the Enterprise Fantasy Premier League — click on this link or use the code 2ez9kt to join.

Over in the Spanish League, Levante is set to host Barcelona in the second round of La Liga at the Estadi Ciutat de València on Saturday at 10:30pm. Barcelona, the reigning champions, started the season with a 3-0 victory against Real Mallorca, and have their eyes set on securing yet another victory as they defend their title.

Bundesliga returns: The new season kicks off tomorrow at the Allianz Arena as Bayern Munich hosts Leipzig at 9:30pm. Is the Bavarian club serious about defending its title? This match will provide the answer.

Bayern Leverkusen, the champions from the season before last, are set to play their first match against Hoffenheim on Saturday at 4:30pm. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund will go head to head with St. Pauli at 7:30pm.

A new season for Serie A: The Italian league opens its season with defending champions Napoli facing off against Sassuolo at 7:30pm on Saturday. Milan will play Cremonese at 9:45pm, coinciding with the match between Roma and Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico.

Matches on our radar in Europe’s major leagues:

PSG vs. Angers (Friday, 9:45pm).
Frankfurt vs. Werder Bremen (Saturday, 4:30pm).
Mallorca vs. Celta Vigo (Saturday, 6:00pm).
Marseille vs. Paris FC (Saturday, 6pm).
Genoa vs. Lecce (Saturday, 7:30pm).
Atlético Madrid vs. Elche (Saturday, 9:30pm).
Lyon vs. Metz (Saturday, 10:05pm).

Head to CJC for a Radiohead tribute night

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND-

? Enjoy a night of rock classics at Cairo Jazz Club with the band Seattle. With covers of songs by the iconic Nirvana and Radiohead, get your dose of nostalgia and catch their live performance tonight. Book your tickets on CJC’s website.

Join Hamada Helal for a night of his biggest hits at Porto Golf Alamein’s Masrah Sokseeh tonight. Grab your tickets on Ticketsmarché.

The 33rd edition of the Citadel Festival for Music and Singing kicked off last weekend and is set to conclude on Saturday. Don’t miss out on the diverse lineup of opera and pop singers at the Salah El-Din Citadel. Get your tickets at the door or through Tazkarti.

Stage powerhouse Wegz is back again for another epic performance at New Alamein Festival at U Arena. Don’t miss this electric night tomorrow. Get your tickets on Tazkarti.

ESCĀ Beach Club is about to serve up a slice of European summers tomorrow in Ras El Hekma. Italian DJ duo Fideles will be doubling down on energy — electrifying all those in attendance with their signature techno beats. Joining them is Berlin-based Russian DJ Yulia Niko — and in case that wasn’t enough, Egyptian DJs Ashmawy and Mohasseb will be playing back to back. You can secure your spot through Ticketsmarché.

Ready for a Bedouin night in Sahel? Well, it’s not exactly what you think it is — it’s even better. Tomorrow, Brooklyn-hailing self-proclaimed nomadic DJ duos Bedouin will be bringing the sonic sandstorm to North Coast’s D-Bay. Think deep house with Middle Eastern influences…and a lot more. Tickets are available on Ticket Egypt.

Tamer Hosny is on a roll this summer, performing once more in Sahel alongside Shamy at the Address Beach Resort for Layali Marassi on Saturday. Grab your tickets from Ticketsmarché.

What the markets are doing on 21 August 2025

The EGX30 fell 0.3% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 3.5 bn (32.9% below the 90-day average). Local investors were the sole net buyers. The index is up 19.8% YTD.

In the green: Egypt Kuwait Holding- EGP (+1.2%), GB Corp (+1.2%), and Ibnsina Pharma (+0.9%).

In the red: Misr Cement (-3.5%), Arabian Cement (-2.5%), and Rameda (-1.9%).

ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

? AUGUST

15- 23 (Friday - Saturday): 33rd edition of the Citadel Festival for Music and Singing.

20- 22 August (Wednesday - Friday): Photopia Mobile Photography Workshop.

21 August (Thursday): Seattle the Band at CJC 610.

21 August (Thursday): Hamada Helal at Porto Golf Alamein.

22 August (Friday): DJ Fideles at ESCA Beach Club.

22 August (Friday): Wegz at U Arena.

22 August (Friday): Bedouin at D-Bay.

23 August (Saturday): Tamer Hosny at The Address Beach Resort.

24 August (Sunday): Jadal at Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

29 August (Friday): Solomun at D-Bay.

29 August (Friday): Tul8te at U Arena.

29 August (Friday): Cairokee at U Arena.

30 August (Saturday): Nancy Ajram and Hamaki at The Address Beach Resort.

SEPTEMBER

1-7 (Monday - Sunday): Amira Selim singing masterclass at Khayal Arts and Music Academy.

4 September (Thursday): Al Mawlid Al Nabawi.

13 September (Saturday): Wael Gassar and Reham Abdelhakim at The Address Beach Resort.

OCTOBER

6 October (Monday): Armed forces day.

7 October (Tuesday): Enterprise Egypt Forum 2025.

10 October (Friday): Anyma at The Great Pyramids.

15 October (Wednesday): Scorpions concert at New Capital.

16-24 October (Thursday-Friday): Gouna Film Festival.

NOVEMBER

11 November - 7 December (Tuesday - Sunday): Forever is Now at the Great Pyramids of Giza.

DECEMBER

19 December (Friday): DJ Tiësto at the Giza Plateau.

Sections

About

Privacy & Support

Get EnterpriseAM daily