DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates is “totally in line” with the US on developing artificial intelligence, the oil-rich country’s artificial intelligence minister told AFP, confirming its shift away from China.
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, spoke on Tuesday after a state-linked Emirati artificial intelligence company secured a huge investment from Microsoft, allegedly divesting Chinese interests as part of the deal.
“The sincere truth today lies in the AI space. I think we have to choose who we work with,” Olama said in an interview when asked about the UAE’s relationship with Chinese artificial intelligence companies.
“There will be a lot of discussions between the UAE and the US about what they are comfortable with us doing with other players around the world and what they are not comfortable with,” he added.
“But when it comes to artificial intelligence, I think there will be complete agreement between the UAE and the US.”
Abu Dhabi-based G42, chaired by the president’s brother and national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, secured a $1.5 billion strategic investment from US tech giant Microsoft in April.
According to the Up-to-date York Times and Bloomberg, the agreement came after talks between the governments of the United States and the United Arab Emirates, during which the G42 agreed to abandon Chinese partnerships in favor of American technology.
Artificial intelligence has become a major battleground between the two powers as the United States seeks to maintain its transformational leadership and deny Beijing access to sensitive data.
Olama, 34, who became the world’s first artificial intelligence minister in 2017, said the United Arab Emirates, which is trying to shift its economy away from oil, is “very bullish” about artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence is probably a top priority for the UAE in terms of our investments and what we are focusing on,” he said.
Last month, G42, powered by the world’s largest supercomputer, unveiled Falcon 2, an open-source generative model that aims to compete with US products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Inception, a subsidiary of G42, and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi also produced Jais, considered the world’s highest multilingual Arabic model.
Olama was confident the models would overcome any potential regulatory hurdles from the European Union, which has introduced a fresh artificial intelligence law and has stringent standards for collecting data, including from government and healthcare sources.
“I think for Europe, for the entire bloc, you will see that the United Arab Emirates is a partner that wants to have a conversation to find out how we can make it easier for European companies to come to the United Arab Emirates and do business,” Olama said.
“But EU law on artificial intelligence is very fresh. We are still familiarizing ourselves with it, understanding it and seeing what needs to be done in this regard,” he added.
Representatives of the industry and government met on Tuesday during the AI Retreat – a brainstorming session in Dubai in the shape of an ellipse with an Arabic inscription of the Museum of the Future.
In his speech, Olam said the UAE wants to be a “global player” with companies that are “taking the world by storm.”
Responding to questions about a possible talent gap in the UAE, he remained upbeat.
“If you look at the progress that has been made over the last five years and the avalanche of talent that has moved to the UAE, I am not worried that we will be able to fill that gap very quickly,” he said.
The United Arab Emirates, which has some of the world’s largest state-owned assets, is also looking to expand its semiconductor industry to benefit from rising demand for AI chips.
“There are definitely discussions taking place and we are open to working with the right partners, regardless of where they come from, whether in Europe or the US,” Olama said.
In response to reports that the United States is slowing exports of AI chips to countries in the region, he commented: “We would prefer not to be lumped in with other countries in this area.”
“I am full of hope and deeply believe that we will be able to find a solution that will meet the requirements of all parties,” added the minister.
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, spoke on Tuesday after a state-linked Emirati artificial intelligence company secured a huge investment from Microsoft, allegedly divesting Chinese interests as part of the deal.
“The sincere truth today lies in the AI space. I think we have to choose who we work with,” Olama said in an interview when asked about the UAE’s relationship with Chinese artificial intelligence companies.
“There will be a lot of discussions between the UAE and the US about what they are comfortable with us doing with other players around the world and what they are not comfortable with,” he added.
“But when it comes to artificial intelligence, I think there will be complete agreement between the UAE and the US.”
Abu Dhabi-based G42, chaired by the president’s brother and national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, secured a $1.5 billion strategic investment from US tech giant Microsoft in April.
According to the Up-to-date York Times and Bloomberg, the agreement came after talks between the governments of the United States and the United Arab Emirates, during which the G42 agreed to abandon Chinese partnerships in favor of American technology.
Artificial intelligence has become a major battleground between the two powers as the United States seeks to maintain its transformational leadership and deny Beijing access to sensitive data.
Olama, 34, who became the world’s first artificial intelligence minister in 2017, said the United Arab Emirates, which is trying to shift its economy away from oil, is “very bullish” about artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence is probably a top priority for the UAE in terms of our investments and what we are focusing on,” he said.
Last month, G42, powered by the world’s largest supercomputer, unveiled Falcon 2, an open-source generative model that aims to compete with US products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Inception, a subsidiary of G42, and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi also produced Jais, considered the world’s highest multilingual Arabic model.
Olama was confident the models would overcome any potential regulatory hurdles from the European Union, which has introduced a fresh artificial intelligence law and has stringent standards for collecting data, including from government and healthcare sources.
“I think for Europe, for the entire bloc, you will see that the United Arab Emirates is a partner that wants to have a conversation to find out how we can make it easier for European companies to come to the United Arab Emirates and do business,” Olama said.
“But EU law on artificial intelligence is very fresh. We are still familiarizing ourselves with it, understanding it and seeing what needs to be done in this regard,” he added.
Representatives of the industry and government met on Tuesday during the AI Retreat – a brainstorming session in Dubai in the shape of an ellipse with an Arabic inscription of the Museum of the Future.
In his speech, Olam said the UAE wants to be a “global player” with companies that are “taking the world by storm.”
Responding to questions about a possible talent gap in the UAE, he remained upbeat.
“If you look at the progress that has been made over the last five years and the avalanche of talent that has moved to the UAE, I am not worried that we will be able to fill that gap very quickly,” he said.
The United Arab Emirates, which has some of the world’s largest state-owned assets, is also looking to expand its semiconductor industry to benefit from rising demand for AI chips.
“There are definitely discussions taking place and we are open to working with the right partners, regardless of where they come from, whether in Europe or the US,” Olama said.
In response to reports that the United States is slowing exports of AI chips to countries in the region, he commented: “We would prefer not to be lumped in with other countries in this area.”
“I am full of hope and deeply believe that we will be able to find a solution that will meet the requirements of all parties,” added the minister.
