On the sidelines of the official UAE delegation’s visit to China, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, met with top officials from three leading Chinese AI solution providers to explore opportunities for cooperation in utilizing AI-enabled technologies to drive environmental sustainability.

The first stop was at SenseTime, the world’s highest-valued AI startup. In July 2019,  the company announced that it will establish a research and development Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi, marking its first foray into the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi also toured 4Paradigm, a Beijing-based AI startup that is pioneering machine learning software in China, and ByteDance, a technology giant operating a range of content platforms around the world.

He learned first-hand about the companies’ latest applications with the aim of examining ways to leverage AI as a powerful tool that adds significant momentum to implementing the UAE’s sustainability agenda.

During the visits, the Minister highlighted the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence that was launched in 2017 to achieve the objectives of UAE Centennial 2071, and referred to some of the country’s initiatives in this area. These included the first Arab satellite, 813, set to launch in 2022 to monitor desertification, drought, and greenhouse gas emissions.

He also provided an overview of the Ministry’s successful application of AI in its processes, using the AI Lab as a case in point. Through AI technologies, the lab monitors and analyzes levels and sources of air and marine pollution, in addition to identifying concentrated solar power locations that can serve as ideal installation sites for solar panels.

As part of the visit to China, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi attended multiple high-level meetings with Chinese officials to discuss best practices and the latest technologies in the environmental sector. These included meetings with Dr Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, Ma Jun, Director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Owen Ma, Vice President of Cargill China, Jiaman Jin, Executive Director of the Beijing-based Global Environmental Institute, and Li Wei, Chairman of Beijing Goke Agricultural Machinery.