Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser, has met top White House cryptocurrency and AI adviser David Sacks to discuss ways to strengthen artificial intelligence collaborations between the UAE and the US.
In a social media post to X, Sheikh Tahnoon posted a picture showing the meeting with Mr Sacks, who was visiting the UAE.
"Our discussion reflects the ongoing momentum in UAE-US economic relations, where collaboration in advanced technologies serves as a cornerstone for building a smart, sustainable digital future that meets the aspirations of future generations," Sheikh Tahnoon wrote.
Mr Sacks, also posted about the meeting on X.
"As Vice President Vance explained in his Paris speech on AI, the US must make itself the partner-of-choice for our friends and allies — otherwise others will fill that gap. US companies still have the best technology but we are no longer the only game in town," he wrote.
Sheikh Tahnoon's meeting with Mr Sacks comes just days before US President Donald Trump will arrive in the UAE, his first trip to the country in his capacity as leader. Before his visit to the UAE, Mr Trump will make stops in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Mr Sacks made headlines in March when he oversaw what Mr Trump said was the first White House Crypto Summit.
Among the digital asset, tech and crypto chief executives at the March meeting were Coinbase's Brian Armstrong, Robinhood's Vlad Tenev, Chainlink's Sergey Nazarov, Ripple's Brad Garlinghouse and Kraken's Arjun Sethi.
For Mr Trump, the summit was the culmination of years of evolving thought on crypto. During a 2021 interview with Fox Business, Mr Trump said that Bitcoin, one of the flagship crypto brands, was a “disaster waiting to happen” and claimed that it hurt the dollar.
Also in March, Sheikh Tahnoon made a trip to Washington and the White House, where energy investments, economic partnerships, AI and data centres were among the topics of discussion.
