Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi-based AI company G42 and Microsoft Corp. announced the establishment of two new centres to advance their collective Responsible AI goals, building on a partnership announced earlier this year.

The first centre, co-founded and co-funded by G42 and Microsoft, with the endorsement of the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), will identify, develop and advance best practices and standards to ensure the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence in the Middle East, and developing countries with digital and technological infrastructure gaps.

The second centre represents an expansion of Microsoft’s AI for Good Research Lab into Abu Dhabi, which will support AI projects that address key societal goals, such as addressing climate change, combating poverty, achieving sustainable development, and other related issues.

G42 and Microsoft will work closely with the centres to bring together individuals and organisations from across the world, particularly the Middle East and developing countries, to  ensure the implementation of best practices in this emerging technology.

Simultaneously, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab will open a centre in Abu Dhabi, its first in the Middle East. This new lab will harness the power of AI to collaborate with nonprofit organisations and partners, addressing key economic and societal challenges across the Middle East and Africa.

Working in close collaboration with the lab’s existing team in Nairobi, the Abu Dhabi team will prioritise the development of large language models for underrepresented languages, helping bridge the global language divide. It will also focus on advancing food security and strengthening climate resilience by applying AI to high-resolution geospatial data, enhancing disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

The two centres build on the work that Microsoft and G42 are undertaking together to implement Responsible AI standards and practices. This includes ensuring that the two companies’ generative AI models and applications are developed, deployed, and used safely – a commitment that is at the heart of the Responsible AI policies that Microsoft has developed and implemented, and that G42 is now adopting as part of their partnership and the commitments made to the US and UAE governments.

G42’s adoption of the policies aim to enhance the UAE’s position as a trusted global AI hub and ensure that Microsoft and G42 AI technologies running on Azure are responsibly shared with a growing joint customer base globally. 

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, said: “By advancing Responsible AI together with Microsoft, we are creating a framework for AI to serve all of humanity. These new centres reflect our shared vision for leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges, positioning Abu Dhabi as a global hub for AI innovation that prioritises safety, trust, and collaboration, especially across the global south.”

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said: “Today’s steps will add to the important progress Microsoft and G42 are making to broaden access to the responsible, safe, and secure use of artificial intelligence. 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.”

Since Microsoft and G42 launched their partnership in April, the two companies have been executing under the commitments of the Intergovernmental Assurance Agreement, with support and oversight by both the UAE and US Governments.