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Google Launches Largest AI Initiative In The MENA Region

Introduced in Dubai, the program focuses on AI skill-building, funding, and infrastructure, aiming to unlock $320 billion in growth.

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google launches largest ai initiative in the mena region
Google

At the AI Connect event in Dubai, which saw participation from Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for AI, as well as other regional leaders and entrepreneurs, Google introduced its AI Opportunity Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The program is the most extensive AI endeavor in the region and is aimed at expanding access to essential AI skills, research funding, and AI-driven products.

Google.org, the company’s philanthropic division, will allocate $15 million from this year through to 2027 to regional organizations. The funding is intended to broaden AI’s reach, ensuring it supports diverse communities across MENA and includes resources in skill development, research, infrastructure, and product launches in Arabic:

  • AI Skill Development: Google is committed to making AI education inclusive and widely available. New educational programs are being launched, focusing on providing an AI Curriculum in Arabic, along with support for underserved communities. In addition, an AI safety education program for young people (ages 11-14) will be funded via a grant to the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
  • AI Research & Local Solutions: Since 2005, Google has invested over $400 million globally in research. In the MENA region, Google is supporting local institutions through the startup accelerator startAD to develop AI applications supporting healthcare, education, and climate.
  • AI-Powered Tools In Arabic: Google’s Gemini, an AI-powered assistant that understands over 16 Arabic dialects, launched in July 2023. New Arabic features include personalized guidance in learning and career advice, plus language-specific conversational and image-generation tools.
  • Infrastructure Investment: Google has reasserted its commitment to cloud infrastructure in MENA, with data regions in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. A partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will support this effort with an AI hub to expand AI research and to boost digital skills for regional job growth.

Also Read: Wa’ed Ventures Pledges $100M For Early-Stage AI Startup Funding

Commenting on the project, Ruth Porat, President of Alphabet and Google, stated, “Google’s long-standing investments in the Middle East and North Africa have helped equip people and organizations with the connectivity, innovation, and skills required to thrive in the global digital economy”.

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Noon And Yango Switch On Robot Deliveries In Dubai

The rollout folds autonomous couriers into noon’s rapid-delivery network as the UAE tests everyday autonomy.

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noon and yango switch on robot deliveries in dubai

Noon and Yango Group have signed an agreement to put autonomous robot deliveries into commercial use in Dubai, turning Yango’s earlier pilots into a daily service for noon Minutes orders. The launch in Sobha Hartland is the first full integration of Yango Autonomy’s electric robots with a major e-commerce network in the region, with wider deployment planned across Dubai and, later, other GCC markets.

Residents can choose a robot at checkout, track it in the app and unlock its compartment once it arrives. The hardware runs on Yango’s AI navigation and routing stack, which plans paths, avoids obstacles and yields to pedestrians. The units had already covered more than 1,500 kilometers during previous Dubai pilots, a test bed that demonstrated their ability to operate in mixed pedestrian environments and dense residential streets.

The rollout adds a contactless option to noon’s last-mile network and is positioned as extra capacity during peak periods. “Partnering with Yango Group lets us bring a future-ready delivery option straight to our customers,” said Ali Kafil-Hussain, noon’s Chief Business Officer. Noon has used Minutes to set rapid-delivery expectations in UAE cities; autonomous units now slot into that same high-frequency model.

Regulatory clearance from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority underpins the move. The RTA authorized Yango’s robots to operate on public walkways and in neighborhoods, smoothing the shift from controlled trials to commercial work. Dubai has framed autonomous mobility as part of its smart-city buildout, and the partners lean on that agenda to accelerate integration.

Also Read: Uber And WeRide Roll Out Driverless Robotaxis In Abu Dhabi

For Yango, the partnership is an anchor for its autonomy platform in the Gulf. Islam Abdul Karim, Yango’s Middle East regional head, said the aim is to make autonomous delivery an “everyday, reliable service” for UAE communities. The company views operational data from early districts as the basis for scaling into more communities and, eventually, cross-border rollouts.

The move lands as Gulf retailers search for faster fulfilment and lower-emission logistics. Autonomous couriers remain a small share of last-mile delivery, but Dubai’s approvals and early usage data give the partners a clearer path to turn pilots into durable infrastructure.

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