UAE spymaster who wants to ‘eliminate all threats’ seeks an iron grip on AI’s future

A Guardian investigation has revealed how Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and the man at the top of a security apparatus that has spent years hacking, tracking and jailing critics of the ruling family, has become one of the most powerful financiers of artificial intelligence in the world. The long read by journalist Jack Shenker, published yesterday, warns that Tahnoon’s rise places critical parts of the world’s AI infrastructure in the hands of a man who commands the full surveillance machinery of an authoritarian state.  Tahnoon, the brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, oversees an economic empire estimated at around $1.5 trillion. As people increasingly hand their data, and even their private thoughts, […]