ADQ deploys AI advisor to board of directors

ADQ's voice-enabled boardroom advisor 'Q' supports boardroom decisions

ADQ building in Abu Dhabi (Image credit: ADQ)

#UAE #assistants - Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund ADQ has introduced an AI Board advisor called Q, a sophisticated voice-enabled system combining multiple AI models to support corporate governance and board decision-making. The AI system, grounded in ADQ's knowledge base, provides strategic insights during board discussions. This development follows last year's move by International Holding Company (IHC), another Abu Dhabi investment group, which deployed an AI Observer named Aiden Insight to support corporate governance and decision-making. Both ADQ and IHC are chaired by His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Member of the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA).

SO WHAT? - The role of the AI assistant has risen quickly from general purpose chatbots that are built on one AI model and trained on a relatively limited set of corporate data, to those that are powered by multiple AI models with access to internal and external data. Large organisations in the UAE are pushing the envelope, developing AI assistants that can draw on business critical data and use real-time internal and external data to provide suggestions and recommendations. The fact that both ADQ and IHC are using AI observers offers further validation for the board-room use case and the country’s technological ability.

Here are some more details about ADQ and Q:

• ADQ has revealed that it is now using a voice-enabled AI board advisor called Q, that combines multiple AI systems working in harmony to provide strategic insights and expert advice during board meetings. ADQ's portfolio of companies includes AD Ports Group, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), Etihad Rail, Etihad Airways, LuLu Group and PureHealth.

• The news was shared following a board meeting of ADQ, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Member of the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA).

• Q draws upon ADQ's extensive knowledge base to intelligently articulate perspectives that shape and guide the boardroom decision-making process. The AI assistant was deployed for the first time in ADQ's recent board meeting.

• The AI observer initiative follows a similar move by International Holding Company (IHC), which introduced Aiden Insight last year. IHC is also chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon, who is an enthusiastic proponent of AI.

• IHC's AI Observer was developed by G42 as part of its BoardNavigator initiative, built on Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service with security and compliance as primary considerations.

• G42’s BoardNavigator is able to process decades of internal business data alongside external market trends to provide superior analytical capabilities for complex business resolutions.

ZOOM OUT - The integration of AI into corporate boardrooms reflects a broader global trend toward leveraging the technology in high-level decision-making. By bringing AI into the boardroom, corporations are not merely enhancing productivity, but starting down a path that may fundamentally transform how strategic decisions are evaluated and made. As confidence continues to grow in AI's ability to provide valuable insights that human directors might miss, we may well see the mandate of boardroom AI advisors broaden to include more responsibilities to boards, corporations, and their shareholders.

[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]