Google expects more Arabic LLMs to emerge as it launches $15m fund to help AI localisation

The AI Opportunity Initiative for the Mena region aims to support the upskilling of 500,000 people

Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, at the Google AI Connect conference in Dubai on Thursday. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

Google expects more Arabic large language models to emerge in the coming years, as artificial intelligence developers' interest in one of the world's most widely-spoken languages grows, a senior executive said on Thursday.

LLMs are the underlying algorithms that use deep learning and analyse significant amounts of data to generate content. LLMs in the UAE, in particular, are “very competitive”, which would spur competition and expand the number of developers creating custom, open-source AI models, David McLaughlin, director of Google's global developer ecosystem, told The National.

The UAE's home-grown LLMs include Falcon from the Technology Innovation Institute and Jais from local AI major G42, both in Abu Dhabi – which are “impressive by the large number of parameter models that have a specific focus on Arabic”, Mr McLaughlin said in an interview on the sidelines of the Google AI Connect conference in Dubai.

“We're still early enough in the stage of [LLM] development that we don't actually know what the path is going to be … we're still at the very early stages of building the infrastructure and figuring out what to do in the Middle East in particular,” Mr McLaughlin said. “But I see a tremendous number of LLMs pop up in the next years, both from the global and local player market.”

One of the advantages of LLMs and AI is that they can pull in human knowledge from across languages, regions and cultures, and make the information more widely available, after potentially having been focused on one region, Mr McLaughlin added. “And that applies very much so to Arabic content, language, thought and research. [AI] will make it more accessible.”

David McLaughlin, director of Google's global developer ecosystem, on the sidelines of the Google AI Connect conference in Dubai. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

New $15m AI fund for Mena

At the conference, Google announced the creation of the AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa region, through which it will contribute $15 million until the end of 2027 to help AI opportunities reach more industries and a wider range of users.

The initiative is part of a wider AI ecosystem the company seeks to support, with a goal of reaching about 500,000 people in the region in the next couple of years, the California-based unit of Alphabet said.

Google has also updated its local programmes. It introduced an Arabic-language AI curriculum under its Maharat min Google training programme and is providing a grant to Village Capital, a non-profit organisation that supports early-stage entrepreneurs with a focus on women, youth, migrants and those in rural areas across Mena nations.

“Google’s long-standing investments in Mena have helped equip people and organisations with the connectivity, innovation and skilling required to thrive in the global digital economy,” Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, said at the event.

In addition, Google, which has already invested more than $400 million in academic research globally, said it will back the development of AI solutions by UAE universities and start-ups, including a new fund to support local researchers and a grant to Abu Dhabi accelerator startAD that would identify AI-powered apps for health care in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“Our local non-profit and university partners will help bring [these programmes] to people and communities throughout the region, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that AI can deliver,” Ms Porat said.

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and its parent Alphabet, delivering a keynote at the Google AI Connect conference in Dubai on Thursday. Ahmed Ramzan for The National

Google also announced new Arabic-specific features for its generative AI platform Gemini, including updated image generation, improved live chat and Gemini for Teens, an age-appropriate service for users under 18.

The UAE, the Arab world's second-biggest economy, is an early adopter of emerging technology and has long recognised the potential of AI, ramping up investments since 2017.

The Emirates has also encouraged all stakeholders to roll out programmes and initiatives to help develop a holistic ecosystem, which would be a magnet for investment.

“Google is working to ensure that people and communities throughout the region have the skills needed to capture the upside of this emerging technology,” Ms Porat said.

At the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh on Wednesday, Ms Porat announced that Google's cloud unit, in partnership with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, will build an AI hub in the kingdom focused on developing Arabic language models and Saudi-specific applications.

The Google Cloud facility will be built in the Eastern Province's capital, Dammam, and is designed to upskill “millions” of students and professionals, and could contribute about $71 billion to the Saudi economy over the next eight years, the company said.