(Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. and G42 are establishing two artificial intelligence centers in Abu Dhabi, months after they inked a $1.5 billion deal and the United Arab Emirates firm agreed to divest from China.
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One center will help develop best practices and industry standards for the responsible use of AI, according to a statement Tuesday. The US firm will also open its first ‘AI for Good Research Lab’ in the region to support social goals, including 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 in a statement.
The moves build on Microsoft’s partnership with G42, which is seeking to become an AI superpower in the Middle East. It’s part of the $1.5 trillion empire of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who’s one of Abu Dhabi’s deputy rulers, national security adviser of the UAE and brother to its president.
G42 has also teamed up with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which is looking to expand in the Gulf region.
The Abu Dhabi-based firm has drawn criticism in Washington in the past, with one lawmaker calling for sanctions citing alleged links to Chinese businesses including Huawei Technologies Co. G42 denied it had “connections to the Chinese government and their military industrial complex.”
Also Read: Middle East’s Emerging AI Powerhouse G42 Chooses US Over China
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 centers in the Middle East.
The UAE’s minister for artificial intelligence told Bloomberg Television in June that US concerns were justified. Still, Semafor reported earlier this month that the US had approved the sale of Nvidia Corp. chips to the Abu Dhabi firm.
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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, according to the joint statement.
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