The Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Foundation has signed a partnership agreement with the Responsible AI Future Foundation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, aimed at building artificial intelligence capacity for underserved communities around the world.
Emirates Foundation, a philanthropic organisation established in 2005, has spent the past 18 months developing "AI for good" initiatives and already runs a sandbox of pilot use cases. Its new partner, the Responsible AI Future Foundation, was launched by Microsoft and G42, with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence serving as its founding academic partner.
The agreement was signed by Ahmed Al Shamsi, Secretary General of Emirates Foundation, and Mohamed Al Hosani, the foundation's Director of Business Development and Partnerships. Al Shamsi said the intent is to work with global partners to build practical AI use cases and then bring them directly to the communities that need them most, rather than keeping the work at a theoretical stage.
The announcement came during the UN General Assembly's high-level week, when government leaders and international bodies gather in New York to discuss global priorities including technology governance and development. The Emirates Foundation's presence there reflects the UAE's broader push to position itself as an active voice in international conversations shaping the future of artificial intelligence, alongside its domestic AI strategy.
Officials from both foundations said the next phase of the partnership will focus on AI skills training and responsible deployment methods tailored to the specific needs of the communities targeted, with further details on individual programmes expected in the coming months as the sandbox projects move toward implementation.