UAE Halts Meetings Between G42 and US Congressional Staffers
The United Arab Emirates canceled meetings this month between US Congressional staffers and G42 after US lawmakers expressed worries that G42 might facilitate the transfer of US AI technology to China.
The UAE has halted meetings between G42 officials and congressional staffers, with the UAE ambassador to the US personally intervening to cancel meetings between staffers from the House Select Committee on China, G42 representatives, and Emirati government officials, reported Reuters. The move comes less than a month after US officials flagged G42 and Microsoft's $1 billion geothermal data project in Kenya over security concerns, with some fearing that the deal could potentially transfer sensitive technology to China. [1]
A spokesperson from the UAE embassy mentioned that there was a “miscommunication” regarding the visit, noting that they were informed about the staff delegation shortly before its arrival. The embassy highlighted its consistent communication with committee members and staff in recent months, stating that they have regularly updated the committee on collaborative UAE-US efforts to enhance oversight of critical advanced technologies.
The staffers had requested the meetings as part of a regional visit from July 16-19 to discuss the transfer of advanced chips from companies such as Nvidia to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, along with issues related to US-China technology competition.
The Biden administration has been positive with regards to the G24-Microsoft deal, which was closely followed by G42 cutting ties with Chinese tech giant Huawei. However, the US administration has yet to reverse the sweeping curbs it made on AI chips exports to the UAE and the Middle East last year.
Read More: Microsoft Pumps $1.5 Billion into UAE’s G42
For the Kenya project to proceed, it will require the approval of the US Department of Commerce. And while Bloomberg reported previously that Microsoft executives have said that the agreement has safeguards to protect its technology and prevent it from being used by Chinese entities to train AI systems, it is not clear how Microsoft intends to protect its technology.
In April, Microsoft pumped $1.5 billion into G42 as part of a collaboration to accelerate AI development and global expansion and to limit collaboration on AI between G42 and China. Criticism of the Kenya project has come from US officials who are skeptical that G42 has completely cut ties with China, flagging the project as a national security threat.