UAE’s AI ambitions face crucial test in White House talks

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan will travel to Washington on Monday for a landmark meeting with US President Joe Biden.

This is the first-ever UAE presidential visit to the US capital in seven years, and AI is at the forefront of discussions as the oil-rich Gulf nation seeks to reinvent itself as an AI powerhouse.

The UAE’s AI push, spearheaded by Abu Dhabi-based firm G42, has raised eyebrows in Washington. 

G42, chaired by UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, recently unveiled “Jais,” touted as the world’s most advanced Arabic large language model. However, the company’s past ties with Chinese company Huawei set off alarm bells in the US.

“AI and new changes in cloud computing are going to change the way the world looks,” says Anwar Gargash, Sheikh Mohamed’s diplomatic adviser. “We cannot let this sort of wave of technological breakthroughs pass by us.” 

For the UAE, AI isn’t just about staying technologically relevant – it’s about economic survival in a post-oil world.

However, US export restrictions imposed in 2022 have thrown a wrench in the UAE’s AI aspirations. The Biden administration added Gulf states to a list of countries facing limitations on importing advanced US-made AI chips, citing concerns about technology leaks to China. 

This slowed the UAE’s AI projects, adding urgency to Sheikh Mohamed’s mission.

The UAE is now pivoting towards US tech partnerships. Microsoft’s recent $1.5 billion investment in G42 signals growing US interest in the Emirates’ AI ecosystem. G42 has also announced a partnership with US chip manufacturer Nvidia for a weather forecasting initiative.

Yet, these moves have intensified scrutiny from US lawmakers. Republican politicians have requested an intelligence assessment of the Microsoft-G42 deal, worried about potential exports of restricted AI chips. 

In response, G42’s CEO Peng Xiao has pledged to phase out Huawei technology, stating, “We simply cannot do much more work with Chinese partners.”

Sheikh Mohamed and Biden are expected to hammer out a broad framework for US-UAE AI cooperation. Sources suggest the UAE wants to secure a “road map” ahead of the upcoming US election, hoping to lock in progress regardless of who occupies the White House come January.

The talks will also cover pressing issues like the Gaza conflict, Sudan, climate change, and clean energy. 

This push for AI dominance isn’t unique to the UAE. Flush with oil wealth, Middle Eastern nations are racing to build competitive AI industries. Gulf nations were among the biggest buyers of Nvidia chips last year.

Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wanted to strike deals with the UAE for an outlandish trillion-dollar chip manufacturing strategy, though we’ve heard little of it since.  

An analyst explained in August 2023, “The UAE wants to own and control its computational power and talent, develop their platforms, and remain independent from the influence of major players like the Chinese or the Americans. With the capital and energy resources at their disposal, they’re also attracting the top global talent.”

UAE’s AI minister Omar Sultan Al Olama reflects on past mistakes: “We over-regulated the printing press… The Middle East banned it for 200 years.” The region is determined not to repeat history with AI.

As Sheikh Mohamed makes his case in Washington, the stakes are high. Success could catapult the UAE to the forefront of global AI development, while failure might leave it languishing in a technological backwater. 

The outcome of Monday’s talks could shape not just the future of US-UAE relations, but the balance of technological power in the Middle East and beyond.

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