Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, said AI could play a big role in unlocking new opportunities to accelerate the UAE’s digital economy and transforming the lives of its people.
“This new age of AI will drive innovation and has the potential to expand opportunity and growth around the world – including in the UAE,” Nadella said, while speaking at the Microsoft ‘AI, a New Era’ event in Dubai on Thursday.
The Microsoft top executive visited the UAE to experience first-hand how the latest advancements in cloud and AI are supporting UAE organisations across every industry.
Nadella also met with local business leaders, government officials and developers at the event.
“It’s inspiring to see so many developers and businesses in the Emirates already applying AI to address business and societal challenges,” he said.
Nadella also announced the upcoming availability of Azure OpenAI Service from the company’s UAE cloud data centres.
The service, which will be available later this month, provides access to a suite of powerful AI models, including GPT-4, Codex, and DALL-E 2, which can be used to develop innovative AI applications such as virtual assistants, content generation, code generation, image editing tools, and more.
He also highlighted some of the ways UAE organisations are leading AI transformation and innovation in key industries such as the UAE Ministry of Education partnering with local startup ASI to develop a personalised AI tutor and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi developing a unified, digital experience for patients.
Microsoft’s 30-year presence in UAE
Microsoft has been operating in the UAE for more than 30 years and chose the country as the location for its first data centres in the Middle East. The company’s cloud regions are considered a key driver behind the country’s digital transformation, serving as foundations for the deployment of modern technologies, including AI.
A PwC report has predicted a $320 billion AI industry in the Middle East by 2030 and singled out the UAE as likely to have the largest percentage share for AI in its economy out of any nation in the region – close to 14 percent of 2030 GDP.
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