UAE's TII Provides US$300 Mln For Open-Source AI Development

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a global scientific research centre and the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has launched the ‘Falcon Foundation’.

The non-profit Falcon Foundation is dedicated to advancing the development of open-source Generative artificial intelligence (AI) models and to building sustainable ecosystems around open-source projects that accelerate technology development.

TII Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ray O. Johnson said: “We are committed to fostering transparency and collaboration in AI. Extending the UAE's collaborative spirit into AI development, we set new standards for openness and we encourage all other entities who support open source from around the world to join us.”

According to a statement, as a founding member, TII is committing to provide US$300 million to fund these projects. (US$1=RM4.78)

The launch of the Falcon Foundation took place at the prestigious World Governments Summit (WGS) 2024 and marks a critical juncture in convening stakeholder collaboration to establish transparent governance models and encourage knowledge exchange as AI continues to chart a relentless growth path.

Commencing with TII’s powerful homegrown Falcon AI models, the foundation will convene stakeholders, developers, academia, and industry, as well as individuals, and will help realise the power of cooperative decision-making among the contributors.

It will accelerate the democratisation of AI with the help of notable Falcon Foundation Ambassadors, eminent AI professors in universities worldwide, as well as key industry players in the field of AI.

The foundation’s beneficiaries will encompass all entities that work with and champion open-source responsible AI. As an organisation open to all and every stakeholder committed to open source, the foundation will leverage global best practices as part of its regulatory and legal framework for AI.

The Falcon Foundation's commitment to open-sourcing and innovation in AI reflects a forward-thinking approach that helps Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leapfrog into a technology-driven future and supports the global community in harvesting cross-industry collaborations for seminal AI advancements.

-- BERNAMA