The UAE announces the launch of an open source model for artificial intelligence in Arabic.

 The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the research arm of the Abu Dhabi Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), announced on Wednesday the launch of an open-source AI model, describing it as the "highest-performing" in the Arab region.

In 2023, the UAE launched the Falcon AI program, which compares to leading open-source models in the field, such as ChatGPT.

A statement from the Abu Dhabi Advanced Technology Research Council quoted Faisal Al Bannai, Advisor to the President of the UAE for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology and Secretary General of the ATRC, as saying, "We are proud to introduce Arabic to the Falcon series, and we are even more proud that the highest-performing model in the Arab world was developed entirely in the UAE."

It is the first Arabic-language AI model in the Falcon series.

The Falcon series of AI models has achieved 45 million downloads globally, according to the institute's announcement in February.

The Technology Innovation Institute explained that Falcon Arabic was trained on high-quality data in the original, untranslated Arabic language, including standard Arabic and regional dialects, giving it "a superior ability to understand the linguistic diversity of the Arab world."

The Arabic model is "built on Falcon 3-7B and is one of the most advanced Arabic models ever developed," according to the statement, which added that it represents "a significant milestone in the development of artificial intelligence in the region."

The institute also announced the launch of Falcon H1, a model developed to "expand access to high-performance AI by reducing the need for significant computing resources or advanced technical expertise."

Al Bannai said, "Falcon H1 embodies our commitment to making AI accessible to everyone—not just select players."

The UAE seeks to become a leader in technology, particularly AI, to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

During Trump's visit to the UAE last week, Abu Dhabi and Washington signed an AI agreement as part of the UAE's generous investment pledges. The two countries also strengthened joint cooperation in advanced technology.