The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted an industry reception on Monday, February 10th at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam in Dubai. The event provided U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council member companies the opportunity to hear from senior U.S. and U.A.E. business leaders about trends in the growing bilateral commercial partnership, particularly in the artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technology sector. The reception took place on the eve of the World Governments Summit (WGS), which is convening this year under the theme “Shaping Future Governments.” This year’s summit focuses on AI and its ability to provide innovative solutions for future challenges. 

U.A.E. Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Al Olama praised the U.S.-U.A.E. partnership and expressed optimism about the future of cooperation, particularly in AI and advanced technologies. H.E. Al Olama noted that the United States has greatly contributed to the U.A.E.’s development and remains the preferred choice in the technology space. He emphasized the closeness of the bilateral relationship and shared values. In his capacity as World Governments Summit Managing Director, H.E. Al Olama encouraged companies to consider the summit their “own platform” and work alongside the U.A.E. to address global challenges.   

U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President Danny Sebright cited AI as a core focus of the Council in the year ahead and outlined its strategy to enable and foster AI cooperation. Mr. Sebright spoke of the speed and scale of AI adoption and its centrality to the U.S.-U.A.E. commercial partnership. Mr. Sebright cited the new U.S. administration, U.S. fiscal policy, and AI adoption and evolution as the three forces governments and businesses will encounter in 2025. Mr. Sebright highlighted policy work underway between the two governments — efforts which the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is supporting and promoting — around technology transfer and data flows and storage, and the ethical use of AI. He previewed future U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council activities in this sector, noting that the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will “double down” on AI. He added that the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will continue to engage AI experts in both governments to inform and shape policy on behalf of member companies. Citing the successful U.S.-U.A.E. 123 Agreement in civil nuclear energy, he remarked that the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will undertake an intensified initiative to scale its AI outreach and engagement efforts. Mr. Sebright encouraged member companies to stay involved and contribute to this mission.  

U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. Martina Strong highlighted the positive momentum in the U.S.-U.A.E. trade and commercial partnership and the fast pace of developments in the bilateral relationship. Ambassador Strong noted that AI and advanced technology is a strategic sector for new partnerships between U.S. and U.A.E. companies. She mentioned that upcoming U.S. government visits by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer underscore the closeness and importance of the partnership between the two countries. Ambassador Strong encouraged industry representatives to explore ways to capitalize on and maximize commercial opportunities in the bilateral relationship. She also called on companies to engage with her team.  

Mr. Talal Al Kaissi, Group Chief Global Affairs Officer at G42 & Chief Partnerships and Government Affairs Officer at Core42, outlined G42’s growing global footprint and focus on the U.S. market. He cited G42’s new deployments in Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia and expanding partnerships with U.S. companies. Mr. Al Kaissi commended U.S.-U.A.E. technology cooperation and added that the bilateral partnership is setting the foundation for cutting-edge AI solutions. Mr. Al Kaissi underscored that AI transformation must be accessible and inclusive to all. He remarked that equitable access to AI must be a key factor when building out global AI infrastructure and building partnerships. Mr. Al Kaissi called for a collaborative approach to AI development given that scale of investment needed. He predicted that AI enablement will help address the world’s most pressing issues.  

Ms. Amira Sajwani, Managing Director at DAMAC Properties, discussed DAMAC’s recent announcement that it would invest $20 billion in data centers in the U.S. market. She underscored that the data centers will support AI and cloud services, providing a significant boost to U.S. data infrastructure. Ms. Sajwani also mentioned that DAMAC has previously invested in U.S. AI companies and this new announcement is a continuation of DAMAC’s journey. Ms. Sajwani noted that AI will “transform all sectors” and will have the effect of being the next internet. She explained that DAMAC is increasingly focused on integrating AI into its business operations to ensure that the company becomes an industry leader in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Ms. Sajwani praised the U.A.E.’s role as a global hub for AI development and envisioned DAMAC contributing to the U.A.E.’s growing partnerships both regionally and internationally. 

Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at Visa, discussed Visa’s role in driving innovation and digital transformation in the financial services sector. Dr. Jaffar discussed some of the technologies that make Visa the global leader in digital payments. She remarked that Visa is testing new digital payment solutions in the U.A.E. market. She noted that Visa’s global processing network can handle more than 65,000 transactions per second. Dr. Jaffar maintained that AI has made digital payments much safer and Visa will continue to embrace AI with open arms. She spoke about the importance of staying one step ahead of AI and leveraging the technology for innovation.    
 
For more information about this event, please contact Matthew Gardell at mgardell@usuaebusiness.org.