A Legislative Parliamentary Forum for Gulf states was held in Abu Dhabi on October 7 bringing together governments, experts and scholars from across the region to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) governance.
Such events are part of a concerted effort by the UAE to consolidate its role as a global hub of AI dialogue and industry, offering an alternative - or at least a midway point - in the ongoing US-China tech rivalry.
This comes at a time when Microsoft has announced increased investment into the UAE’s AI sector, including exporting Nvidia chips as part of its 15 billion USD investment pledge. For the UAE and other states which share their AI ambitions, the challenge will be to bridge the gap between strategy and a mature industry that has the talent and production to sustain itself long-term.
UAE consolidates its AI hub strategy
The UAE’s national strategy for AI was made public in 2017 with the stated goal of becoming the world leader in the field by 2031.
Since the appointment of a Minister of AI in 2017, significant steps have been taken: the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence was inaugurated in 2019, and plans for the construction of the Stargate datacentre is underway in Abu Dhabi.