His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, received today Sarah Friar, chief financial officer of OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research organization.
During the meeting, Sheikh Khaled and Friar explored OpenAI’s latest AI solutions and global efforts to develop cutting-edge technologies, tools and applications across a wide range of key sectors.
Sheikh Khaled emphasised the significance of harnessing AI to drive innovation and shape the future in key economic and scientific fields and highlighted the importance of leveraging global expertise and building strategic partnerships with leading institutions in this rapidly evolving sector.
Driving innovation and economic growth
The discussions also covered national strategies and visions for integrating AI solutions and technologies across various industries, reinforcing the UAE’s and Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for technological innovation, and supporting the development of a competitive, knowledge-based economy driven by advanced technologies.
The meeting was attended by His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and chairman of the Crown Prince’s Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, and Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42.
The meeting comes following the recent launch of The Stargate Project by OpenAI. The new company intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years, building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States. The initial equity funders in Stargate are SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX.
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UAE among top emerging economies in AI readiness
Sheikh Khaled’s meeting with OpenAI’s Sarah Friar comes at a time when the UAE is emerging as a key regional and international AI hub. According to a recent report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the UAE ranks among the top emerging global economies in AI readiness. The report highlights substantial opportunities for advancing AI readiness and leadership in the region, with the UAE making notable progress on that path.
As a first-mover on AI governance and the leading nation globally in sovereign investment, the UAE mirrors many benchmarks set by established AI Pioneers, reflecting its success at integrating AI technologies at a national scale. The country’s vision, reflected in robust policy initiatives such as the National AI Strategy 2031 and the appointment of the world’s first AI Minister in 2017, demonstrates a strong direction towards AI-centric economic and social value.
The UAE is also among the regional leaders in AI-related research, with approximately 700 AI-related publications.
