The United Arab Emirates (UAE) canceled a planned meeting this month between U.S. congressional staff and Emirati artificial intelligence company G42 after U.S. lawmakers expressed concerns about the potential transfer of advanced U.S. AI technology from G42 to China via the UAE, according to a congressional spokesman.
The cancellation of the meeting was reportedly the direct intervention of the UAE’s ambassador to the United States, who “personally intervened” to prevent staff of the House Select Committee on China from meeting with G42 representatives and UAE government officials, according to a source familiar with the cancellation who asked not to be identified due to internal committee policy.
According to Reuters, the root of the US lawmakers’ concerns is Microsoft’s massive investment of $1.5 billion in G42. The lawmakers are concerned that the deal could facilitate the transfer of sensitive AI technology to China, given G42’s historical ties to China. A committee spokesperson highlighted these concerns, saying, “The Committee is even more concerned about the G42-Microsoft deal given the UAE’s refusal to meet with congressional staff to discuss these issues. As a result, we expect Congress to become even more involved in its oversight of these negotiations.”
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The diplomatic tensions come as China hawks in Congress are stepping up scrutiny of the G42-Microsoft partnership and the potential risk of sensitive AI technology leaking to China via the Middle East. The cancellation of the meeting could signal more serious diplomatic fallout and possible escalation of surveillance measures.
The State Department declined to provide a statement when reached for comment. G42 also referred all inquiries to the UAE government. A UAE embassy spokesperson attributed the situation to a “miscommunication regarding the visit,” stressing that the embassy was only informed shortly before the staff delegation was scheduled to arrive. The spokesperson further noted that the UAE embassy had recently been in touch with a number of committee members and staff to highlight ongoing efforts to strengthen stewardship of advanced technologies that are critical to both the UAE’s and the United States’ security interests.
Congressional staff had intended to discuss the transfer of high-performance chips from companies such as Nvidia to the UAE and Saudi Arabia during a meeting scheduled for July 16-19. The discussion was supposed to be part of a broader review of the U.S.-China technology race and its impacts.
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Source: Reuters