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G42 and OpenAI launch regional partnership 

By Melissa Hancock
Chat GPT G42 ChatGPT Shutterstock/T Schneider
G42 partnered with OpenAI in October to develop AI in the UAE and regional markets
  • G42 and OpenAI will ’empower’ businesses
  • OpenAI founder says region can play central role in AI
  • Middle East AI market growth 61%

Abu Dhabi’s leading artificial intelligence company G42 is teaming up with OpenAI, the research and development company behind ChatGPT, to develop AI in the UAE and regional markets.

The partnership, announced on Wednesday, aims to leverage OpenAI’s generative AI models across sectors where G42 already has expertise, including financial services, energy, healthcare and public services. 

Using solutions built by G42, organisations in the UAE and the region will be able to simplify the process of integrating OpenAI’s models.

“We aim to empower businesses and communities with effective solutions that resonate with nuances of the region,” said Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI.

G42 group CEO Peng Xiao added: “Our partnership with OpenAI transcends technological synergy; it’s a convergence of value and vision.”

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Gitex Global tech show being held in Dubai. 

Altman has previously praised the UAE for being ahead of the curve on the development of AI.

In a visit to Abu Dhabi in June, he spoke highly of the Emirates’ “desire, commitment and willingness” to explore the technology. “I’m hopeful that the region can play a central role in this global conversation,” he said.

Last week Sundeep Gantori, CIO equity strategist at Swiss bank UBS, told AGBI the Middle East is in the very early stage of AI adoption.

The revenue opportunities in the region equated to “a few hundred million dollars” in 2022, he said, versus $28 billion globally, citing UBS research.

The same research has projected that the global AI market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 61 percent between 2023 and 2027. Gantori said Mena’s generative AI market is set to exceed the global average, given its nascent stage. 

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