Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, announced at the Dreamforce event in San Francisco that the United Arab Emirates will soon change regulations regarding data centers and will no longer promote their locations. Emphasizing the importance of digital infrastructure, he said: "Data centers are now more important than bridges and roads, as our lives depend on these devices."
Importance of Data Centers and the Impact of War
The UAE Minister of Artificial Intelligence referred to the importance of data centers as critical infrastructure and stated that these centers are targeted in attacks. He referenced comments made by Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, regarding the war in the region, mentioning that the company has two data centers in the UAE for support and data recovery, both of which were destroyed due to the war. Benioff also announced that Salesforce teams worked to recover data and established a backup data center abroad.
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Additionally, Amazon Web Services announced that after six months from the attacks, it is unable to restore its data regions in Bahrain and the UAE. Al Olama, pointing to security threats, announced the UAE's determination to prevent the promotion of data center locations, stating: "We do not want to identify data center locations for anyone who intends to do something with them."
Future Challenges and AI Regulations
The Minister of Artificial Intelligence also referred to future challenges in the field of AI and the need for changes in the laws of various countries. He addressed existing concerns regarding AI regulation and stated that although governments seek to improve people's lives, they must learn from past experiences and avoid creating unnecessary restrictions. Al Olama said: "We cannot make that mistake again. Even if there are concerns, we must focus on things that can change people's lives."
He also mentioned the training of 80,000 individuals in AI in the UAE, stating that this training helps government employees leverage AI technologies. Ultimately, Al Olama expressed hope that with current advancements, cancer treatment could be possible within the next five years and emphasized the importance of fair and accessible technology for countries like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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