In brief
On 2 November 2026, Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Abu Dhabi and witnessed the signing of four agreements encompassing government, energy and investment sectors. The deals aim to position the UAE as a global AI hub, with ADNOC becoming the first energy firm to deploy OpenAI technology and the government launching a world‑first AI‑native policy initiative.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on 2 November 2026 in Abu Dhabi, witnessing the signing of four landmark agreements that tie the UAE’s government, energy and investment sectors to OpenAI’s advanced AI technology.
The meeting – held at the Abu Dhabi Executive Council – was described by WAM as a discussion of opportunities to accelerate government transformation and drive innovation across Abu Dhabi’s strategic sectors.
Altman said, "Abu Dhabi and the UAE are setting a bold, global standard for AI integration across both the public and private sectors to make sure the benefits of AI reach everyone. We are proud to support the UAE’s ambition, anchored in a shared commitment to safety, accessibility and responsible innovation."
“Abu Dhabi and the UAE are setting a bold, global standard for AI integration across both the public and private sectors to make sure the benefits of AI reach everyone. We are proud to support the UAE’s ambition, anchored in a shared commitment to safety, accessibility and responsible innovation.”
WAM reported that the agreements span a government initiative for the world’s first AI‑native Machine‑Readable Government program, an energy deal with ADNOC and G42’s Inception42 making ADNOC the first energy company to deploy OpenAI’s frontier technology, and commitments in the investment sector.
In the energy deal, ADNOC will integrate advanced AI capabilities across its operations, relying on OpenAI’s GPT models and in‑country inference infrastructure in the UAE to boost efficiency and productivity.
The government agreement will translate a defined set of policies and regulations into machine‑readable form, enabling AI‑powered systems to assist officials with routine regulatory compliance assessments. Altman added that the partnership will strengthen the emirate’s ambition to become the world’s first fully AI‑native government.
The investment agreements are aimed at leveraging AI to enhance decision‑making and investment analysis, cementing the UAE’s position as a global hub for AI innovation and deployment.
