OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Meets UAE President to Boost AI Collaboration

UAE president meets OpenAI CEO to discuss AI collaboration

Sept 27 (Reuters) - The president of the United Arab Emirates, which has been spending billions in its push to become a global player in AI, met OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the UAE state news agency reported. Discussions between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Altman focused on strengthening cooperation between OpenAI and its counterparts in the UAE, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence research and its practical applications, the state news agency said. "This cooperation aligns with the UAE's ambition to establish an integrated AI ecosystem, supporting the country's development plans and its drive to build a knowledge-based economy," the agency added. The UAE, a major oil exporter, is building one of the world's largest AI data centers and launching a new Arabic-language AI model. It has also been looking to leverage its strong relations with the United States to secure access to AI technology. In May, the UAE and the U.S. signed an agreement for the Gulf state to build one of the largest artificial intelligence campuses outside the U.S. The deal was announced during President Donald Trump's visit to Abu Dhabi. Reporting by Hatem Maher and Enas Alashray; Editing by Alison Williams Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Meets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed To Collaborate On AI Research

Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter In a major step toward establishing the UAE as a global AI hub, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to explore collaboration on artificial intelligence research and applications. Strengthening The UAE's AI Ecosystem Through Global Partnerships According to a Reuters report citing the UAE's state news agency, discussions focused on expanding cooperation between OpenAI and its UAE counterparts, reported Reuters. Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that the partnership "aligns with the UAE's ambition to establish an integrated AI ecosystem, supporting the country's development plans and its drive to build a knowledge-based economy." Investments In AI Research, Data Centers And Arabic-Language Models Altman highlighted the potential for AI to transform industries and enhance economic growth, saying, "Working together with the UAE opens opportunities to advance research and deploy AI in practical ways that benefit society." The UAE has been investing heavily in AI, building one of the world's largest data centers and developing an Arabic-language AI model. In May, the country signed an agreement with the United States to create one of the largest AI campuses outside the U.S., reinforcing its commitment to becoming a global technology leader. See Also: Mitch McConnell Says Trump Tariffs-Ushered Era Has 'Similarities' With The 1930s Altman Warned AI Could Replace 40% Of Work Tasks Last week, Altman said AI was likely to replace 40% of work tasks in the near future, emphasizing the rapid evolution of AI and its potential impact on the workforce. He highlighted the need for regulation and safety, noting that AI could take over many tasks currently performed by humans while also creating new jobs. Altman explained it was more useful to consider the share of daily tasks AI could handle rather than focusing solely on job losses and also discussed superintelligence and its implications for work and discovery. Sleepless Nights Over AI Ethics And Responsibility Earlier this month, Altman admitted he had struggled with sleepless nights since ChatGPT's launch, grappling with ethical dilemmas over suicide, privacy, and government access to AI conversations. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, he acknowledged that the responsibility of overseeing ChatGPT weighed heavily on him. Altman referenced a recent case in which ChatGPT was accused of validating a teenager's suicidal thoughts and clarified that the AI did not provide methods for self-harm, though in jurisdictions where euthanasia was legal, it could present information as part of a patient's "option space" without advocating for it. Read next: Apple May See Fewer Searches In Safari, But Google CEO Sundar Pichai Insists AI Is Fueling Overall Query Growth: 'Far From A Zero-Sum Game' Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

OpenAI CEO Meets With UAE to Promote AI Ambitions | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. That's according to a report Saturday (Sept. 27) from Reuters, citing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state news agency. According to the report, the talks between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman focused on boosting cooperation between OpenAI and its counterparts in the UAE, especially in the field of AI research and its practical applications. "This cooperation aligns with the UAE's ambition to establish an integrated AI ecosystem, supporting the country's development plans and its drive to build a knowledge-based economy," the agency said. Reuters noted that the UAE, a major oil producer, is developing one of the largest AI data centers in the world, as well as a new Arabic-language AI model. In addition, the UAE has been working to use its strong relationship with the U.S. to gain access to AI technology. The two countries signed an agreement in May that will see the UAE construct one of the biggest AI campuses outside the U.S. in a deal was announced during President Donald Trump's trip to Abu Dhabi. As PYMNTS wrote earlier this year, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are racing to build data centers at scale as the countries compete for AI supremacy in the Middle East. "As of early 2025, Saudi Arabia had existing data center capacity of more than 300 megawatts, which is competitive with UAE's capacity of more than 250 megawatts, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com," the report said. "But when it comes to future projects, Saudi Arabia blows away the UAE: It has upcoming capacity of 2,200 megawatts while the UAE is expecting about 500 megawatts." Meanwhile, data from the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) shows that AI preparedness in the region can vary by quite a lot. Israel is in first place here, followed by UAE and Saudi Arabia. Aside from Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, the remaining countries "drop off considerably in the rankings," PYMNTS wrote. In other AI news, PYMNTS wrote last week about the launch of the latest version of OpenAI's ChatGPT, and how it fits in with Altman's vision of developing infrastructure that makes intelligence "abundant." "That ambition is being matched by industrial-scale investment, including Nvidia's planned $100 billion commitment to expand OpenAI's compute capacity, a deal that cements both companies as central players in generative AI," the report added.