No Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions in the UAE

Recent media reports have circulated claims that all residents of the UAE would receive free access to the paid version of the AI tool “ChatGPT Plus,” following a major partnership announcement between the UAE and OpenAI. However, these claims are not based on any official confirmation and contradict the original details of the announcement.

According to OpenAI, the agreement with the UAE focuses on expanding access to AI tools, but it does not include providing free individual subscriptions to ChatGPT Plus, which still requires a $20 monthly fee. The free version of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) remains available to users in the UAE without any changes.

The partnership is part of the "Stargate UAE" project, which aims to build the world’s largest AI-focused data center in Abu Dhabi, covering an area of 10 square miles. The initiative involves global companies such as G42, Oracle, NVIDIA, and Cisco. The facility is expected to be operational by 2026, powered by nuclear, solar, and gas energy, and will provide massive computing power to the region.

The benefits of the partnership are expected to unfold gradually, particularly through the integration of ChatGPT tools in government, education, and healthcare services, enabling wider use of AI across the country—even without access to the paid version.

The confusion seems to have stemmed from an overinterpretation by some media outlets of the official announcement, which primarily focused on strengthening AI infrastructure and capabilities rather than offering immediate free services.

Source: Albayan Newspaper

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