Responsible AI Future Foundation Announces Partnership with Emirates Foundation; Names Mark Latonero Chief Executive Officer

The Emirates Foundation and the Responsible AI Future Foundation today announced a partnership to advance a shared vision that AI should benefit all of humanity and improve people’s lives. The partnership memorandum of understanding was signed this morning at a roundtable on AI, Philanthropy, and Inclusive Growth at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations during the UN General Assembly high-level week in New York.

Responsible AI is essential to our future. It means developing and using AI in a safe, secure, and trustworthy way, so that its risks are managed, its benefits are realised, and people are always kept at the centre. The Emirates Foundation and the Responsible AI Future Foundation will leverage AI to further societal benefit, put Responsible AI into practice, build capacity and skills, and help ensure the benefits reach people in areas of critical need.

Each foundation contributes distinct strengths to this partnership. The Emirates Foundation brings over twenty years of experience working with communities, mobilising partnerships, and developing initiatives that respond to social priorities in the UAE and beyond. The Responsible AI Future Foundation brings the frameworks, tools, and training that enable organisations to adopt Responsible AI.

“At Emirates Foundation, our focus is on turning emerging opportunities into meaningful social impact,” said H.E. Ahmed Al Shamsi, Secretary General, Emirates Foundation. “AI has enormous potential to strengthen communities, but realising that potential requires responsible adoption, stronger capabilities, and a clear focus on people. Through this partnership, we aim to explore how AI can be applied responsibly to create meaningful impact in the UAE and beyond.”

“AI that is developed responsibly, with people at the centre, has the potential to improve livelihoods all over the world,” said Mark Latonero, Chief Executive Officer, Responsible AI Future Foundation. “And the more organisations can adopt and implement Responsible AI, the more AI can serve people’s needs, particularly in the Global South. That is the core of our Foundation’s mission.”

The foundations will cooperate on initiatives that include Responsible AI innovation and governance; AI capacity-building and education; international and community engagement; and AI initiatives designed to create a positive social impact in the UAE, the Middle East, and the Global South.

Mark Latonero named Chief Executive Officer

The Responsible AI Future Foundation also today named Mark Latonero as its Chief Executive Officer. Latonero joined the Foundation as Chief Global Affairs Officer, working with governments and organisations across the UAE, the Middle East, and the Global South, and as CEO will lead the Foundation from startup to delivery. His career spans government, multilateral institutions, academia, and industry partnerships on AI and emerging technologies. He served at the White House as Deputy Director of the National AI Initiative, driving international AI policymaking and interagency coordination. As Head of International Engagement at the US Department of Commerce’s AI Safety Institute and Center for AI Standards and Innovation, he launched diplomatic initiatives and led international evaluations of frontier AI models.

“Mark has spent his career across multiple sectors ensuring emerging technologies benefit the people they are intended to serve,” said Martin Edelman, Council Chair, Responsible AI Future Foundation, and General Counsel, G42 US. “This appointment, along with our partnership with the Emirates Foundation, is an important step for our Foundation’s future and its work to implement Responsible AI at a global scale.”

“As AI adoption expands around the world, responsible AI remains a top priority,” said Natasha Crampton, Chief Responsible AI Officer, Microsoft. “Microsoft has been advancing responsible AI for more than a decade, working to translate our principles into practical governance, safeguards, and tools that evolve alongside the technology. Initiatives like the Responsible AI Future Foundation can help strengthen responsible AI practices across the broader ecosystem through collaboration and shared learning. Mark brings deep experience in AI governance, and we look forward to working with him in this new role.”

“Responsible AI isn’t about patching systems after the fact or designing only within the worldview of the builders—it starts by understanding actual human needs,” said Elizabeth Churchill, Professor and Founding Area Lead of Human-Computer Interaction, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). “If AI is going to serve society, we must design for everyone downstream whose lives are shaped by it. Grounding technology in lived reality is exactly what the Responsible AI Future Foundation was created to do, and Mark is the right leader to drive that mission forward.”

The Responsible AI Future Foundation was established by Microsoft, G42, and MBZUAI.

For more information about this announcement, please contact the Responsible AI Future Foundation.

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