Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser, has met separately with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to discuss artificial intelligence development and the UAE's expanding role in the global AI economy. The one-on-one meetings with the CEOs of Tesla and Amazon took place during UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's landmark visit to the United States in late September 2024.
Talks with Elon Musk Focus on AI Trends and High-Tech Cooperation
The meeting with Musk centred on the latest developments in artificial intelligence and opportunities to advance high-tech cooperation between the two regions. Sheikh Tahnoon, who chairs the Abu Dhabi-based technology group G42, reinforced the UAE's ambition to become a leading AI nation through targeted investments in talent and cross-sector partnerships.
Bezos Meeting Highlights Global Tech Partnerships
Discussions with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos addressed the critical role of global partnerships in shaping technological leadership. Sheikh Tahnoon stressed that collaboration across borders is essential to sustainable AI development and to securing the UAE's position in the rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Following the Bezos meeting, Sheikh Tahnoon took to X (formerly Twitter) to articulate the UAE's broader vision: cultivating AI talent and building the cross-sector partnerships needed to lead the next phase of artificial intelligence.
UAE-US Sign Common Principles for AI Cooperation
The bilateral meetings built directly on an agreement reached just days earlier. On 23 September 2024, Sheikh Tahnoon and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan endorsed the Common Principles for Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence at the White House. The agreement establishes shared guidelines for the UAE and the US to jointly advance "safe, secure, and trustworthy AI," covering AI governance frameworks, cybersecurity, and sustainable AI growth.
UAE's AI Credentials
The meetings underline the UAE's deepening commitment to artificial intelligence across government and industry. G42 secured a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft and announced a partnership with Nvidia for AI-powered weather forecasting. The country also founded the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019 — the world's first graduate-level AI university — and developed Jais, an open-source bilingual Arabic-English large language model.
Sheikh Tahnoon was named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in AI in September 2024, reflecting his central role in the UAE's technology strategy.
All of these discussions took place as UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed conducted a historic state visit to the United States, with technology and artificial intelligence remaining central themes throughout his engagements with US officials.
