UAE, Saudi Arabia pledge support for AI at investor fairs

The race is on for dominance over AI development in the Gulf.

At dueling conferences this week in Dubai and Riyadh, government ministers, investors and corporate executives are sketching out their visions for integrating artificial intelligence into virtually all aspects of daily life.

Addressing a packed ballroom at the Dubai AI & Web3 Festival on Wednesday, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, pledged that companies with the most innovative technologies will have the government’s backing.

“Our job is to enable you, our job is to ensure you’re able to use Dubai and the UAE as a springboard to make global companies that will make global impact and change the future,” Al Olama said.

In the Saudi capital, where the vast King Abdulaziz International Conference Center played host to the annual global AI summit known as GAIN, the buzz in the corridors was about chips – specifically whether the U.S. government will allow Nvidia to export its advanced AI semiconductor chips to Saudi Arabia, Semafor reports.

Saudi leaders have been trying to allay the Biden administration’s concerns that the kingdom’s growing ties with China could lead to the leaking of technological U.S. secrets and damage national security.