What are Falcon and Jais?

Falcon and Jais are the UAE's two flagship homegrown AI model families. Falcon is built by Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and reached its third generation, Falcon 3, in December 2024, with Falcon Arabic and Falcon-H1 following in 2025. Jais is the Arabic-focused line, reaching Jais 2 — a 70-billion-parameter open-weight model — in December 2025, built by Inception (a G42 company), Cerebras and MBZUAI's Institute of Foundation Models (source: TII; PR Newswire).

Falcon 3 is the third generation of TII's Falcon model family, launched on 17 December 2024. It is a set of small, open models designed to run on everyday hardware — even laptops — which makes capable AI accessible without large data-centre budgets. TII followed it with Falcon Arabic and Falcon-H1 in May 2025 and a Falcon-H1 Arabic release announced in January 2026 (source: BusinessWire; TII).

Jais 2 is a 70-billion-parameter open-weight Arabic large language model released around 9 December 2025 by Inception (a G42 company), Cerebras and MBZUAI's Institute of Foundation Models. It is the successor to the original 13-billion-parameter Jais from 2023 and is described by its makers as the next generation of the world's leading Arabic open-weight LLM (source: PR Newswire).

Why does Arabic AI matter for businesses?

Most global AI models are trained primarily on English. Arabic-first models like Falcon Arabic and Jais handle Arabic dialects, script and context more naturally, which matters for chatbots, customer support, content and marketing aimed at Arabic-speaking customers across the Gulf. For a UAE service business, that means AI tools that read and write Arabic the way customers actually speak it — not awkward translations.

Are Falcon and Jais free to use?

Both families include open models. Falcon models from TII are released openly, and Jais 2 is described as open-weight. Open models can typically be downloaded, self-hosted and adapted, which lowers cost and increases control compared with closed APIs. Always check the specific licence terms for the exact model version you plan to deploy before building on it commercially.

How should a UAE business choose between Falcon, Jais and global models?

Test them against your actual use case rather than relying on benchmark claims. For Arabic-heavy customer interactions, the homegrown models are strong candidates. For some English or specialised tasks, a global model may fit better. The right answer is usually a mix — and the practical step is to pilot each on a real workflow with a measurable target before committing.

The UAE's Homegrown AI: Falcon and Jais Explained

Falcon and Jais are the UAE's homegrown AI models. Here's what Falcon 3, Falcon Arabic, Falcon-H1 and Jais 2 70B are — and what Arabic AI unlocks for businesses.

Falcon and Jais are the UAE's two flagship homegrown AI model families — proof that the country is building artificial intelligence, not just buying it. Falcon, from Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII), reached its third generation in December 2024 and added dedicated Arabic models through 2025 and into 2026. Jais, the Arabic-focused line, reached Jais 2 — a 70-billion-parameter open-weight model — in December 2025. For any business serving Arabic-speaking customers, these models unlock AI that finally reads and writes Arabic naturally.

Here's what each model is, who builds it, and what regional AI actually changes for your operations.

What Is Falcon?

Falcon is built by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi. Its third generation, Falcon 3, launched on 17 December 2024 — a set of small, open models designed to run on everyday hardware, even laptops (source: BusinessWire). That "runs on a laptop" point matters: it puts capable AI within reach of businesses without data-centre budgets.

In May 2025, TII added Falcon Arabic — the first Arabic model in the series — alongside Falcon-H1, a hybrid architecture. A further Falcon-H1 Arabic release was announced on 5 January 2026, with 3B, 7B and 34B parameter sizes (source: TII).

TII has published benchmark claims stating that some Falcon models outperform comparable models from other vendors. Treat these as vendor benchmarks — useful directional signals, but worth validating on your own workload rather than taking as independent fact.

What Is Jais?

Jais is the Arabic-first model line. Its latest generation, Jais 2, was released around 9 December 2025 by Inception (a G42 company), Cerebras and MBZUAI's Institute of Foundation Models. It is a 70-billion-parameter open-weight model, succeeding the original 13-billion-parameter Jais from 2023, and is described by its makers as the next generation of the world's leading Arabic open-weight LLM (source: PR Newswire).

Again, claims about Jais being the "leading" Arabic model come from its makers — a vendor description. The verifiable, important fact is the capability itself: a 70B open-weight Arabic model built largely in the UAE.

How Do Falcon and Jais Compare?

Model family	Builder	Latest release	Focus
Falcon	TII (Abu Dhabi)	Falcon-H1 Arabic, announced Jan 2026	Small, open, efficient; now with Arabic variants
Jais	Inception (G42), Cerebras, MBZUAI IFM	Jais 2, 70B, Dec 2025	Arabic-first, open-weight

Both include open models you can typically download, self-host and adapt — which lowers cost and increases control versus closed APIs. Always confirm the specific licence for the exact version before building commercially.

Why Does Arabic AI Matter for Regional Businesses?

Most global AI models are trained primarily on English. Arabic dialects, script and cultural context are often an afterthought. Falcon Arabic and Jais flip that — Arabic is the priority, not the patch.

For a UAE service business, that unlocks real things:

Customer support that reads naturally. A chatbot or AI assistant built on an Arabic-first model handles dialect and context the way customers actually speak, instead of producing stiff translated replies.

Content and marketing in genuine Arabic. Social posts, replies and campaigns written in fluent Arabic rather than translated English. We go deeper on this in our guide to AI-generated Arabic content for UAE businesses.

Lower cost and more control. Open models can be self-hosted and tuned, which suits businesses that want AI without per-call API fees or sending customer data to external services.

How Should You Choose Between Falcon, Jais and Global Models?

Don't pick on benchmarks alone. Pick on your use case:

Arabic-heavy customer interactions — Falcon Arabic and Jais are strong candidates.
English or specialised tasks — a global model may still fit better.
Cost and data control are priorities — open homegrown models give you self-hosting options.

The right answer is usually a mix. The practical step is to pilot each option on one real workflow — bookings, support, or content — with a measurable target, then keep what wins.

This is exactly the kind of decision I help UAE businesses make: matching the right model to the right job, then building it into operations properly. You can read more on the about page, or book a consultation via evolvxai.com. For the bigger picture on why the region is building this capability, see why the UAE is becoming a global AI hub in 2026.

The Bottom Line

Falcon and Jais are the clearest sign that the UAE is an AI builder, not just a buyer — from Falcon 3's laptop-friendly open models to Jais 2's 70-billion-parameter Arabic capability. For businesses serving Arabic-speaking customers, these models unlock support, content and tools that finally sound native. Test them on a real workflow, weigh them against global options, and build with whichever moves your numbers.

Sources

Falcon 3 launch — BusinessWire: businesswire.com
Falcon Arabic and Falcon-H1 launch — TII: tii.ae
Falcon-H1 Arabic announcement — BusinessWire: businesswire.com
"Inception, Cerebras and MBZUAI release Jais 2" — PR Newswire: prnewswire.com