UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan will journey to Washington on Monday for a landmark assembly with US President Joe Biden.
That is the first-ever UAE presidential go to to the US capital in seven years, and AI is on the forefront of discussions because the oil-rich Gulf nation seeks to reinvent itself as an AI powerhouse.
Nonetheless, the UAE’s AI push, partly led by Abu Dhabi-based agency G42, has raised suspicions in Washington.
G42, chaired by UAE Nationwide Safety Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, just lately unveiled “Jais,” touted because the world’s most superior Arabic massive language mannequin.
Nonetheless, the corporate’s previous ties with Chinese language firm Huawei have been a bone of competition between the US and UAE over the previous couple of months.
Nonetheless, for the UAE, AI isn’t nearly staying technologically related. It’s about financial survival in a post-oil world.
“AI and new adjustments in cloud computing are going to vary the way in which the world appears to be like,” says Anwar Gargash, Sheikh Mohamed’s diplomatic adviser. “We can’t let this kind of wave of technological breakthroughs move by us.”
US export restrictions imposed in 2022 impeded the UAE’s AI ambitions. The Biden administration added Gulf states to an inventory of nations dealing with limitations on importing superior US-made AI chips, primarily manufactured by Nvidia, citing considerations about know-how leaks to China.
The UAE is now pivoting in the direction of US tech partnerships and is ready to chop some ties with China within the course of.
Microsoft’s current $1.5 billion funding in G42 alerts rising US curiosity within the Emirates’ AI ecosystem. G42 has additionally introduced a partnership with Nvidia for a climate forecasting initiative.
But, these strikes have intensified authorized oversight. Republican politicians have requested an intelligence evaluation of the Microsoft-G42 deal.
In response, G42’s CEO Peng Xiao pledged to section out Huawei know-how, stating, “We merely can’t do way more work with Chinese language companions.”
The upcoming US-UAE agenda
Sheikh Mohamed and Biden are anticipated to hammer out a broad framework for US-UAE AI cooperation. Sources recommend the UAE needs to safe a “street map” forward of the upcoming US election, hoping to lock in progress no matter who occupies the White Home come January.
The talks may even cowl urgent points just like the Gaza battle, Sudan, local weather change, and clear vitality.
This push for AI dominance isn’t distinctive to the UAE. Flush with oil wealth, Center Jap nations are racing to construct aggressive AI industries. Gulf nations have been among the many greatest patrons of Nvidia chips final 12 months.
Earlier this 12 months, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wished to strike offers with the UAE for an outlandish trillion-dollar chip manufacturing technique.
An analyst defined in August 2023, “The UAE needs to personal and management its computational energy and expertise, develop their platforms, and stay unbiased from the affect of main gamers just like the Chinese language or the People. With the capital and vitality assets at their disposal, they’re additionally attracting the highest international expertise.”
UAE’s AI minister Omar Sultan Al Olama displays on previous errors: “We over-regulated the printing press… The Center East banned it for 200 years.” The area is decided to not repeat historical past with AI.
As Sheikh Mohamed makes his case in Washington, the stakes are excessive. Success might push the UAE ahead on the worldwide AI stage, whereas failure may depart it languishing.
The end result of Monday’s talks might form not simply the way forward for US-UAE relations, however the steadiness of technological energy within the Center East and past.
