MICROSOFT and G42 are establishing two artificial intelligence (AI) centres in Abu Dhabi, months after they inked a US$1.5 billion deal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) company agreed to divest from China.
One centre will help to develop best practices and industry standards for the responsible use of AI, both companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday (Sep 17).
The US company will also open its first AI for Good Research Lab in the region to support social goals, such as advancing food security and strengthening climate resilience.
“We are committed to additional steps with G42 that advance responsible AI use for customers and that strengthen the relationship not only between our two companies, but between our two countries,” Brad Smith, vice-chairman and president of Microsoft, said.
The moves build on Microsoft’s partnership with G42, which is seeking to become an AI superpower in the Middle East.
It is part of the US$1.5 trillion empire of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is one of Abu Dhabi’s deputy rulers, a national security adviser of the UAE and brother to its president.
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G42 has also teamed up with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which is looking to expand in the Gulf region.
The Abu Dhabi-based company has drawn criticism in Washington in the past, with one lawmaker calling for sanctions citing alleged links to Chinese businesses such as Huawei Technologies.
G42 denied it had “connections to the Chinese government and their military industrial complex”.
The US has limited chip exports to the Middle East in part due to concerns that Chinese companies, which are largely cut off from cutting-edge American technology, could access them through data centres in the Middle East.
The UAE’s minister for artificial intelligence said in June that US concerns were justified.
Still, news platform Semafor reported earlier this month that the US had approved the sale of Nvidia chips to the Abu Dhabi company.
G42 will adopt processes to “harden AI systems against probing, testing and attacks” in connection with the commitments made to the US and UAE governments, indicated the statement. BLOOMBERG
