Qatar & UK form new commission to drive mutual AI R&D
Joint Qatar-UK AI Research Commission will develop a roadmap for collaboration
#Qatar #UK #R&D - Qatar and the United Kingdom have announced a joint Artificial Intelligence Research Commission, tasked with charting a roadmap for collaboration between the two counties that will drive mutual progress in AI innovation, governance, and ecosystem development. The formation of the commission is backed by the UK Government’s Gulf Strategy Fund, which previously supported Qatar in preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022. The first goal of the commission is to develop a study, led by Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar.
The United Kingdom and Qatar have announced a joint Artificial Intelligence Research Commission, tasked with charting a roadmap for AI R&D and innovation collaboration, during the visit of His Highness The Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s this week.
The commission has been formed based on plans developed by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), in cooperation with the British Embassy in Doha. The commission will be funded by the UK’s Gulf Strategy Fund, while the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will provide strategic support.
The first task of the join commission will be to develop study that can form the basis of a roadmap for bilateral collaboration in AI. The project will be led by Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar.
The project will be headed up by Professor David Leslie, Professor of Ethics, Technology, and Society at Queen Mary University of London’s Digital Environment Research Institute, and the Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at the Alan Turing Institute.
The commission will align with the national AI strategies of both countries, focusing on policy, regulation, security, and international collaboration.
ZOOM OUT - The announcement of the joint Qatar-UK Artificial Intelligence Research Commission follows this week’s agreement for a climate technology partnership that will see the Gulf state invest £1 billion in British technology companies and joint projects. The climate technology partnership stemmed from the UK-Qatar Strategic Dialogue launched in 2022, and will focus on clean energy innovation, carbon management, and energy efficiency.
Read more about Qatar technology initiatives:
Qatar to invest £1 billion in UK climate tech partnership (Middle East AI News)
Ooredoo secures $549m to build MENA AI infrastructure (Middle East AI News)