REDMOND, Washington, and ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — September 17, 2024 — While Microsoft Corp. and G42 continue to advance their collaboration, we share two important initiatives to ensure AI is used responsibly and serves the world. This work builds on the partnership we jointly announced earlier this year and marks the start of several additional steps that we will announce in the coming weeks and months.
Today, we are announcing the creation of two new centers in Abu Dhabi that together will advance our collective goals for responsible AI. The first, co-founded and co-funded by G42 and Microsoft, with approval from the Abu Dhabi Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies Council (AIATC), will identify, develop and advance best practices and industry standards for use responsible for AI in the world. Middle East and Southern countries. The second is the expansion of Microsoft’s AI for Good research lab in Abu Dhabi, which will support AI projects addressing key societal goals.
The first center will bring together academic researchers and private sector AI practitioners to develop, document and share emerging best practices in responsible AI. Both G42 and Microsoft are committed to working closely with the Center to bring together individuals and organizations from the Middle East, the Global South and, more broadly, to learn from each other and develop continued advancements in this emerging field.
Simultaneously, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab will open a center in Abu Dhabi, the first in the Middle East. This new lab will harness the power of AI to collaborate with nonprofit organizations and partners to address key economic and societal challenges in the Middle East and Africa. Working closely with the Lab’s existing team in Nairobi, this initiative will prioritize the development of large language models for underrepresented languages, helping to bridge the global language gap. It will also focus on improving food security and strengthening climate resilience by applying AI to high-resolution geospatial data, thereby improving disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
The partnership will work alongside AIATC, which was established in January to develop research plans and programs in collaboration with local and global partners to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s status in the areas of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
Both centers build on the work that Microsoft and G42 are doing together to implement responsible AI standards and practices. This includes ensuring that both companies’ generative AI models and applications are developed, deployed and used safely – a commitment that is at the heart of the Responsible AI policies which Microsoft developed and implemented, and which G42 is now adopting as part of our partnership and commitments made to the US and UAE governments.
Among other things, these policies govern the design and use of AI applications, incorporate digital security and cybersecurity plans for training and deployment of models, and establish “red teaming” processes to harden systems. AI against surveys, tests and attacks. G42’s adoption of these policies will solidify 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 our joint customer base growing on a global scale.
“Today’s actions will add to the important progress Microsoft and G42 have made to expand access to the responsible, safe and secure use of artificial intelligence,” said Brad Smith, vice president and president of Microsoft. “We are committed to taking additional steps with G42 that advance the responsible use of AI for customers and strengthen relationships not only between our two companies, but also between our two countries. »
Peng Xiao, CEO of G42 Group, said: “By advancing responsible AI with Microsoft, we are creating a framework for AI to serve all of humanity. These new centers reflect our shared vision of leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges, positioning Abu Dhabi as a global hub for AI innovation that prioritizes security, trust and collaboration, particularly in the countries of the South.
Since Microsoft and G42 launched their partnership in April, both companies have met the commitments of the Intergovernmental Assurance Agreement, with the support and oversight of the governments of the United States and United Arab Emirates.
Consistent with corporate policy instituted earlier this year, G42 and its affiliates do not do business with any entity listed on the U.S. Government’s Consolidated Control List. The Microsoft and G42 Compliance Committee meets quarterly and both teams maintain a weekly cadence for progress reviews. G42’s compliance program is designed to be “best in class”, ensuring the highest standards of business practices and security principles.
This partnership presents a strategic opportunity to bring world-class technology to underserved regions such as the Global South. The G42’s efforts to create a regulated and monitored environment for the deployment of advanced technology systems developed in the United States are essential to meeting international demands for AI. Our collaboration aims to bridge the digital divide, address pressing social challenges, and promote democratic norms in cyberspace. We have already announced a billion dollar investment in Kenya leveraging geothermal energy and are actively exploring other strategic markets.
Additionally, the migration of G42’s legacy public cloud infrastructure to Microsoft Azure began in November 2023 and is continuing as planned. This migration is essential to ensure secure and efficient operations.
Microsoft and G42 believe in the transformative power of AI and cloud technologies, and our partnership is built on a foundation of trust, security, shared values and commitment to the highest standards of regulatory compliance. Microsoft and G42 are committed to ensuring that our collaboration contributes positively to global technological progress.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates AI-powered platforms and tools to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI accessible at scale and responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to do more.
About the G42
G42 is a technology holding group, a global leader in creating visionary artificial intelligence for a better future. Born in Abu Dhabi and operating around the world, G42 champions AI as a powerful force for good across all sectors. From molecular biology to space exploration and everything in between, G42 realizes exponential possibilities today.
To find out more visit www.g42.ai
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Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, (email protected)
Media and public relations team, G42, (email protected)
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