Gulf

1. GPT for UAE
2. Somaliland’s Trump offer
3. UAE skips Saudi show
4. Saudi-Syria deals
5. Qatar’s quieter art scene

Saudi designer Alya Alsalmi’s Winter Olympic thobes.

OpenAI, G42 in talks to create UAE version of ChatGPT

OpenAI is working with Abu Dhabi-backed G42 to build a version of ChatGPT for the UAE, in one of the first attempts to localize the popular chatbot, OpenAI officials told Semafor. The bespoke version is being designed for use by the Emirati government and will be more attuned to Gulf Arabic, the local political outlook, and speech restrictions.

The company will still offer the global version of ChatGPT in the UAE, although OpenAI plans to tailor it to local laws and inform users when content triggers legal restrictions.

MGX, a tech investment vehicle backed by G42, invested in OpenAI last October in a secondary share sale that valued the company at $500 billion. The month prior, Abu Dhabi’s AI university bestowed its inaugural honorary doctorate on OpenAI’s co-founder, Sam Altman. The UAE capital may prove crucial again as Altman pursues a further fundraise.

— Reed Albergotti

Somaliland pitches minerals to Trump

Somaliland’s pitch to US President Donald Trump (and the world): Recognize us, and gain access to strategic waterways and minerals. President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi told Semafor he plans to use the momentum from Israel’s recognition in December of the breakaway state to press his case, despite the Israeli move earning condemnation from the African Union, the European Union, and countries including China, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The territory’s close ties with the UAE have also become a sticking point in the rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

Abdilahi said the backlash was expected, adding that Somaliland had long pursued recognition quietly, and will continue to do so. “We are working hard to get more friends and countries,” Abdilahi said. “We have more enemies than before, so everything has to be done discreetly.”

— Mohammed Sergie

UAE edged out of Riyadh defense fair

UAE companies were largely absent from the World Defense Show in Riyadh, a no-show that analysts linked to strains in UAE-Saudi relations. Around 30 Emirati companies were listed as participants, but none showed up; the exhibition space allocated to EDGE Group — one of Abu Dhabi’s biggest arms makers — was turned into a coffee shop. Reuters reported over the weekend that UAE firms were planning to pull out of the show. EDGE did not respond to a request for comment.

Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are in a public standoff over competing visions for the region, with the clearest rupture playing out in Yemen. The rift is now seeping into commerce: Some UAE-based companies have reported difficulties securing Saudi visas, a friction that could threaten nearly $22 billion in annual trade between the Gulf’s two largest economies.

— Mohammed Sergie

Riyadh locks in Syria projects

The value of agreements between Saudi Arabia and Syria to develop aviation, communications, and water infrastructure in the war-torn country. Low-cost carrier Flynas, energy firm ACWA Power, and telecoms operator STC — all backed by Riyadh’s Public Investment Fund — have secured projects and will operate through a new fund launched to finance the work. STC plans to invest more than 3 billion riyals ($800 million) to build a fiber-optic network in Syria, which could eventually give the kingdom a land route to connect its AI data centers to Europe. Riyadh has stepped up diplomatic, economic, and security support for Damascus over the past year, joining Qatar, Türkiye, and the US among the main beneficiaries of contracts tied to Syria’s post-war recovery.

Art Basel’s Doha debut slows the tempo

Art Basel’s first Middle East edition, held in Doha, reimagined what an art fair in the region could be. Instead of desks stacked with laptops and collectors racing the clock, the fair was more like an exhibition, featuring open-plan galleries where single-artist presentations unfolded like small museum shows.

The shift was deliberate. For the first time in any Art Basel edition, an artist — Egypt’s Wael Shawky — was appointed to curate the fair. His theme, Becoming, shaped both mood and structure: Each gallery was limited to one artist, and transactions were moved to private lounges away from the floor. The inaugural edition brought together 87 galleries from 31 countries, with more than half the artists on display coming from the Middle East and South Asia.

The museum-like calm, organizers insisted, did not signal a lack of commercial seriousness. Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz told Semafor the format was intentional and predicted that sales would unfold gradually in the coming weeks.

China’s ascent is far more than a domestic story — over the past 50 years, it has steadily transformed global markets, technology, and international affairs. In today’s world economy, China is woven into every industry and influences trade and policy decisions across the globe.

To provide clear context on China’s sweeping impact on deals, policies, and the emerging global order, Semafor is launching its flagship China Briefing. Authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andy Browne, Semafor China will deliver original reporting, expert analysis, and sharp insight into how China is reshaping the world around us.

Subscribe for free here.

Deals

• Uber agreed to buy Turkish company Getir’s delivery operations from majority shareholder Mubadala Investment. Getir’s services will be made available through another Turkish app that Uber invested in last year. — Bloomberg

Diplomacy

• The heir to the British throne, Prince William, arrives in Saudi Arabia today for a three-day visit that will include a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the agenda are energy, investment, and trade ties, as well as defense matters: The visit takes place during the World Defense Show in Riyadh, where the UK’s BAE Systems will be promoting its next-generation fighter, Tempest. — BBC
• A Russian man suspected of shooting an intelligence officer in Moscow was reportedly arrested in Dubai and handed over to Russian authorities. Vladimir Putin thanked the UAE’s president for detaining the suspect. The UAE is a haven for wealthy Russians and Abu Dhabi has hosted two rounds of talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US. — Guardian

Infrastructure

• Abu Dhabi-backed G42 has signed a deal to develop AI and cloud infrastructure across Vietnam, with commitments of up to $1 billion, with technology and telecoms firm FPT Corp. and the Viet Thai Group.

Livestock

• Saudi Arabia is issuing passports for camels, with a new digital ID system that will log ownership, health records, and lineage. The kingdom is tightening the regulation of its camel trade, and trying to professionalize a sector that still largely runs on handshake deals. — Saudi Gazette

Sports

• Kazakhstan will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in place of Saudi Arabia, after the event was moved from gigaproject Neom to Kazakhstan’s Almaty. — DW

Saudi designer Alya Alsalmi’s uniform for Team Saudi at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Saudi Arabia was the only Arab team chosen to participate in the National Olympic Committees Fashion Show.