However, the UAE's AI ambitions have also raised geopolitical concerns. The country has been caught in tensions between the U.S. and China over advanced semiconductors. The U.S. has reportedly urged the UAE to sever its links with Beijing, amid concerns that advanced American technologies and sensitive data could reach China via Emirati firms. Despite these challenges, UAE officials remain optimistic about the country's potential in the AI landscape.
Key takeaways:
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is emerging as a significant player in the global AI landscape, with its AI system, Falcon, outperforming top offerings from Meta and Google.
- The UAE government is investing heavily in AI technology as a means to diversify its economy away from oil and project geopolitical influence.
- Despite concerns over civil liberties and internet freedoms, the UAE has seen a significant increase in AI workers, quadrupling to 120,000 from 2021 to 2023.
- The UAE's commitment to open-source AI has won it friends in Global South countries, and it is also emerging as a player in the world of computer chips used to train powerful AI systems.