UAE aims to align global players around shared tech framework, says senior official

Omran Sharaf says a divided world could struggle to set standards and ethics rules for tech and AI

Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, during the Hili Forum 2024. Victor Besa / The National

Technology is increasingly becoming a defining pillar of diplomacy and foreign policy around the world, and the UAE aims to play a leading role in aligning global players around shared frameworks, a senior official told The National.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology, said the country is persisting with its efforts in artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and science-driven solutions to tackle national and global challenges.

“The UAE is making it more and more clear that technology is becoming a vital vertical within our foreign policy,” Mr Sharaf said.

In 2017, the country became the first to appoint a minister of state for artificial intelligence, charged with driving the national strategy to become a global AI leader by 2031. But the UAE’s tech ambitions extend well beyond its borders.

Amid a polarised geopolitical landscape, the UAE aims to become a bridge bringing global players together and creating consensus around a shared framework, said Mr Sharaf. He said a divided world could struggle to set standards and ethics rules.

“If you reflect the political polarisation on to the tech and science landscape, that means that we'll end up with different codes of ethics, different sets of standards, and that's very dangerous,” he said. “You'd be creating an opportunity for irresponsible players to take advantage of loopholes” amid a lack of collective protection.

Earlier this year, while speaking at an AI summit in Geneva, Mr Sharaf warned the world against acting recklessly with new technology.

“We want to see more alignment between global players in science, technology and space diplomacy efforts,” he told The National. “We want to be able to have everyone working together, and everyone benefitting from such technologies.”

Addressing a Youth Dialogue organised and hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New York, Mr Sharaf, who oversaw the UAE’s mission to Mars, opened the floor by speaking about his role in leading the historic endeavour in 2021, when the UAE became the first Arab country to reach Mars.

The UAE has since made more space history, with Sultan Al Neyadi, now UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, becoming the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk during his mission on the International Space Station in 2023.

“When it comes to space, advanced tech and emerging tech, the UAE is always very ambitious,” said Mr Sharaf. “We always want to take it to the next level, whether in space, AI or any other sector.”