UAE unveils Arabic AI model 

The United Arab Emirates has launched a new Arabic-language artificial intelligence (AI) model, Falcon Arabic, as competition intensifies among Gulf states to lead in AI innovation. Developed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the model is trained on a high-quality native Arabic dataset and claims to match the performance of models up to 10 times its size.

The announcement follows a recent visit by former US President Donald Trump, during which he said a new AI agreement would grant the UAE access to advanced US semiconductors—a significant boost to the country’s AI ambitions.

ATRC also introduced Falcon H1, a model it says surpasses offerings from Meta and Alibaba by requiring less computing power and technical expertise. The UAE has invested billions to position itself as a global AI player, leveraging strong US ties to access cutting-edge technologies.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia is also pushing ahead, recently launching a state-backed AI company to develop infrastructure and a powerful multimodal Arabic large language model.

Attribution: Reuters