UAE backs Sam Altman idea to turn itself into AI testing ground

The United Arab Emirates will push to become a global leader in testing and regulating artificial intelligence technology, according to a top official, echoing remarks from OpenAI’s Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman earlier this week.

Altman’s belief that the UAE can become the “hub for pragmatic regulation” shows the “UAE is a serious player” in the AI space, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar Al Olama told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Government Summit in Dubai. “That is an opportunity I personally want to see happen, it is something we are going to push for.”

Altman, who is courting investors in the Middle East, said at the same conference that the Gulf country could serve as the world’s “regulatory sandbox” — a place to experiment with AI technologies and later spearhead global rules limiting their use.

The UAE has invested heavily in AI and made it a key policy consideration, but its ties to China have raised some concern in the US. Earlier this week, Emirati AI company G42 told Bloomberg it would scale back its presence in China to appease Washington.

Al Olama described the UAE as a “very strong partner” to the US. “All our technological foundations and infrastructure have been related to American companies, that is not going to change anytime soon,” he said.

But that partnership won’t rule out working with Chinese companies, the minister added. “I don’t think you can say you need one and don’t need the other.”

A massive influx of tech workers since 2021 is helping fuel the Gulf state’s AI ambitions. As of September, there were 120,000 people working on AI or AI-related industries — up from 30,000 two years prior, Al Olama said.