Sam Altman receives MBZUAI’s first honorary doctorate
MBZUAI celebrates OpenAI CEO’s AI industry leadership
#UAE #awards - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has conferred its inaugural Honorary Doctorate on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in recognition of his transformative leadership in artificial intelligence. Witnessed by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the ceremony at MBZUAI’s Abu Dhabi campus celebrated Altman’s role in scaling generative AI from research laboratories to global impact. University president Eric Xing emphasised Altman’s contribution to making AI accessible to billions worldwide.
SO WHAT? - The UAE recognised the value of ‘ AI diplomacy’ early on and this inaugural honorary doctorate signals that MBZUAI now plays on a global stage. The celebration also positioned the university as a global centre of excellence through association with leading industry figures. The honour also recognises the valuable partnership that the UAE and its leading AI entities have with Sam Altman and OpenAI. Altman has visited the UAE many times and praised the country’s approach to AI, being instrumental in securing US government backing for locating the first Stargate hub outside the USA in Abu Dhabi.
Some key details about MBZUAI’ sinaugural honorary doctorate:
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has conferred its inaugural Honorary Doctorate on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
The ceremony was witnessed by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Altman received the inaugural academic honour in recognition of his transformative leadership scaling artificial intelligence from research concepts to global applications impacting billions of users.
The ceremony took place at the MBZUAI campus in Masdar City, attended by ministers, dignitaries, university leadership, faculty, and students.
HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, MBZUAI Board of Trustees Chairman, described the conferral as testament to the university’s growing stature as a global AI centre of excellence.
Professor Eric Xing, MBZUAI President and University Professor, praised Altman for transforming AI from research concept into a global progress engine through vision, conviction, and courage in scaling generative technologies.
Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled emphasised that the recognition reflects the UAE’s comprehensive AI ecosystem vision designed to serve humanity and drive inclusive growth through advanced technology.
Sam Altman expressed honour at receiving the inaugural doctorate whilst commending MBZUAI’s commitment to placing artificial intelligence at the centre of education and research initiatives.
The OpenAI CEO highlighted alignment between the UAE’s bold AI advancement vision and OpenAI’s mission to ensure artificial intelligence benefits are widely shared across global communities.
ZOOM OUT - The UAE AI ecosystem has cultivated a strong relationship with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and he played a pivotal role in winning US government support for the ambitious Stargate UAE project. The project partners UAE and American AI companies to build critical infrastructure abroad whilst maintaining strategic oversight, marking a significant shift from previous technology export restrictions. The announcement of the UAE Stargate launched OpenAI’s “OpenAI for Countries” programme, designed to help allied governments develop sovereign AI capabilities through collaboration with US firms.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]