Negotiations are under way between the UAE and OpenAI that may make the company’s ChatGPT Plus artificial intelligence chatbot available to all residents free of charge, though a final deal has not been reached.
An agreement involving ChatGPT Plus would be part of the recently announced Stargate UAE infrastructure plan to create an AI hub in Abu Dhabi, according to a source familiar with the country’s AI strategy.
Abu Dhabi’s AI company G42 has partnered with OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia to set up Stargate UAE, a 1-gigawatt computing cluster that will operate in the newly established 5GW UAE – US AI Campus.
In 2024, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman addresses the World Governments Summit in the UAE. Antonie Robertson/The National
The establishment of the 5GW campus came after months of intense negotiations involving US technology companies and UAE officials to make sure the Emirates has enough chips and graphics processing units for its AI aspirations.
If a deal guaranteeing access to ChatGPT Plus to UAE residents comes to fruition, it would be unprecedented in the relatively young AI sector, giving perhaps more than 10 million people in the country the ability to use one of the world’s most powerful AI services.
OpenAI declined to comment on the prospect of the service being made freely available in the Emirates when contacted by The National.
A recent blog post on OpenAI's site, however, does mention ChatGPT in the context of the overall Stargate UAE plan.
"Under the partnership, the UAE will become the first country in the world to enable ChatGPT nationwide – giving people across the country the ability to access OpenAI's technology,” reads a portion of the post.
Typically for $20 per month, the ChatGPT Plus subscription plan provides what OpenAI describes as “enhanced access”. Unlike the ChatGPT version that is free of charge, the subscription service gives priority access during peak usage times, accepts large file uploads for analysis, has wider image generation features, provides access to OpenAI’s Deep Research tools and includes expanded voice features.
But ChatGPT Plus is not the highest tier service offered by OpenAI. There is also OpenAI Pro, which is available to customers for $200 a month, and the company also offers enterprise plans.
President Sheikh Mohamed was at the launch of Stargate UAE attended by senior officials including Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director of Mubadala Investment Company. Also present were Martin Edelman, general counsel of G42; Peng Xiao, chief executive of G42; Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia; Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI; Masayoshi Son, chief executive of SoftBank Group; Jay Patel of Cisco and Mike Sicilia executive vice president of Oracle. Photo: G42
Although AI research stretches back to the 1960s, recent advances in computer-processing power, coupled with iterations of AI solutions such as ChatGPT in 2022, led to an explosion of interest, investment and start-ups.
“The ChatGPT launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments I'd ever seen, and we added one million users in five days,” OpenAI chief executive and founder Sam Altman wrote at the time. “We added one million users in the last hour.”
Last week, Mr Altman announced that former Apple design master Jony Ive, who played a leading role in the creation of the iMac, iPod and iPhone, will be merging his company io with OpenAI.
The UAE is aiming to become a front-runner in the AI industry as it diversifies its economy away from oil. Its efforts have resulted in the establishment of numerous start-ups and partnerships as well as investments from industry leaders.
In recent years, UAE-based companies and institutions have also created several large language models, which are viewed as the backbone of AI implementations.
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
World Series: South Africa Women’s World Series: Australia Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles UAE National Schools: Al Safa School International Invitational: Speranza 22 International Vets: Joining Jack
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88') Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39') Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
German intelligence warnings
2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
