When Dubai launched its State of AI Report in April 2025, revealing over 100 high-impact AI use instances, the emirate wasn’t simply showcasing technological prowess—it was making a calculated guess that pace, not spending, would decide which cities win the worldwide race for AI-powered governance.
In an unique interview, Matar Al Hemeiri, Chief Govt of Digital Dubai Authorities Institution, revealed how Dubai’s method to AI authorities effectivity differs essentially from each its regional rivals and established Asian tech hubs—and why the emirate believes its mannequin of speedy deployment paired with binding moral frameworks provides a blueprint different governments will ultimately comply with.
The DubaiAI benefit: 180 providers, one digital assistant
Whereas neighbouring Abu Dhabi introduced a $4.8 billion funding to grow to be the world’s first totally AI-powered authorities by 2027, Dubai has taken a unique path. “Abu Dhabi’s funding is concentrated on constructing an end-to-end AI-powered authorities infrastructure,” Al Hemeiri defined. “Dubai’s mannequin is to embed AI ethics, interoperability, and explainability right into a scalable governance framework.”
The outcomes are already seen. DubaiAI, the citywide AI-powered digital assistant, now offers data on greater than 180 public providers—a determine that represents one of the crucial complete authorities AI chatbot deployments globally. The system handles 60% of routine authorities inquiries whereas slicing operational prices by 35%.
However Al Hemeiri pushed again in opposition to the narrative that AI automation inevitably means job losses. “Automation frees our workforce from repetitive, informational duties,” he stated. “Workers are being reskilled and redeployed into higher-value roles corresponding to AI oversight, service design, and strategic coverage work.”
The timing couldn’t be extra important. Dubai’s inhabitants progress has created an “immense spike in demand for presidency providers,” in response to Al Hemeiri, making AI-driven effectivity not only a aggressive benefit however an operational necessity.
Pace as technique: From pilot to deployment in months
What units Dubai aside in AI authorities effectivity isn’t simply what it builds—it’s how shortly it deploys. “In Dubai, as soon as an AI initiative is introduced, it’s swiftly activated, transferring from pilot to deployment inside months, far quicker than the worldwide norm,” Al Hemeiri emphasised.
The numbers again this declare. In 2025, over 96% of presidency entities had adopted not less than one AI resolution, and 60% of surveyed customers most popular AI-supported providers.
Dubai benchmarks itself in opposition to main sensible cities like Singapore, Berlin, Helsinki, and Tallinn, however argues its integration of AI ethics straight into procurement and deployment offers a decisive edge.
“Our aggressive edge lies within the pace with which Dubai operationalises its ethics,” Al Hemeiri stated, addressing a typical criticism that AI governance frameworks are purely theoretical. “The AI Coverage isn’t a theoretical framework; it’s a binding set of ideas and technical necessities utilized to each AI deployment throughout authorities.”
This method builds on the Ethical AI Toolkit launched in 2019, making Dubai one of many few cities globally the place moral compliance is embedded from procurement to efficiency analysis.
Past chatbots: Healthcare, power, and predictive providers
Whereas DubaiAI captures headlines, Al Hemeiri pointed to less-publicised implementations delivering measurable affect. AI fashions at the moment are detecting persistent situations corresponding to diabetes at earlier levels, whereas predictive algorithms enhance auditing techniques throughout the Dubai Well being Authority.
In power infrastructure, sensible grids powered by real-time AI forecasting instruments are optimising consumption and decreasing environmental affect. Essentially the most bold mission presently in improvement is Dubai’s predictive public providers platform, which can use built-in information and AI to anticipate citizen wants—from automated license renewals to preventive healthcare notifications.
“We now have begun efforts on constructing this mission, with full rollout focused for the early 2030s,” Al Hemeiri revealed. Components of this imaginative and prescient are already being examined by AI-enabled city planning instruments and citywide digital twins that simulate coverage outcomes earlier than implementation.
Knowledge sovereignty: A hybrid mannequin between China and GDPR
Dubai’s method to information governance provides a center path between China’s strict localisation necessities and the EU’s GDPR framework. “Dubai’s mannequin provides a hybrid—anonymised citizen information stays inside Dubai’s jurisdiction below strong sovereignty legal guidelines, however could be securely shared throughout entities with the consumer’s consent for presidency providers, by the nation’s official digital identification platform: UAE PASS,” Al Hemeiri defined.
A key differentiator is Dubai’s embrace of artificial information frameworks. “They permit us to develop and take a look at AI techniques at scale whereas preserving privateness and sustaining compliance with Dubai’s information sovereignty necessities,” he stated. This method permits quicker innovation cycles whereas addressing privateness considerations which have hampered AI improvement in different jurisdictions.
The startup sandbox: Actual integration, not simply regulatory reduction
Dubai positions itself as a testing floor for AI startups, however Al Hemeiri argued the emirate provides greater than regulatory flexibility. “Dubai’s AI sandboxes mix regulatory flexibility with direct entry to authorities datasets and real-world testing environments,” he stated.
One healthcare diagnostics startup piloted inside Dubai’s sandbox has already built-in its AI triage instrument into Dubai Well being Authority providers.
“As a result of our ecosystem operates as an interconnected digital working system, startups in our sandboxes can take a look at options that seamlessly combine with different metropolis providers, from mobility improvements just like the Dubai Loop and eVTOL air taxis to healthcare AI diagnostics,” Al Hemeiri defined.
Changing international consideration into financial returns
Dubai AI Week 2025 attracted members from 100 international locations and partnerships with Meta, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. However Al Hemeiri insisted the emirate is concentrated on changing consideration into tangible outcomes.
“We now have established post-event working teams with every of those companions to establish and speed up joint initiatives,” he stated, citing AI upskilling applications, R&D collaborations, and pilot deployments in healthcare, mobility, and concrete planning.
These partnerships feed straight into Dubai’s D33 Financial Agenda, which goals to generate AED 100 billion yearly from digital innovation. The State of AI Report initiatives AI may contribute over AED 235 billion to Dubai’s financial system by 2030—a determine that represents practically 20% of the emirate’s focused financial growth.
Quiet wins and future dangers
When pressed about initiatives that ship worth with out media fanfare, Al Hemeiri highlighted the UN Citiverse Problem, co-led by Digital Dubai and international companions, which brings collectively innovators to design AI-powered options for inclusive public providers and sustainability.
He additionally pointed to Dubai Future Basis’s autonomous supply robotic, already being piloted on Dubai streets to enhance last-mile supply effectivity whereas decreasing congestion and emissions.
On dangers, Al Hemeiri was direct: “The best danger is scaling with out ample oversight.” Dubai mitigates this by steady system audits and a requirement for explainability in all public sector AI.
Al Hemeiri added that guaranteeing ROI “is essential for us when deciding to construct an AI use case. We calculate this when planning a mission, and solely transfer forward as soon as we’re satisfied we will attain the anticipated ROI for the town.”
The five-year take a look at
Requested what would represent failure 5 years from now, Al Hemeiri stated that it “would imply fragmented AI adoption with out enhancing citizen belief, effectivity, or high quality of life.”
Success, conversely, can be “when AI-powered public providers are seamless, anticipatory, and inclusive, easing the lives of residents and residents, and naturally turning into a blueprint replicated by different governments globally.”
It’s an bold imaginative and prescient—one which positions Dubai not simply as a quick follower in AI authorities effectivity, however as a possible mannequin for the way cities can deploy transformative expertise at pace with out sacrificing moral oversight or public belief.
Whether or not that mannequin proves replicable past Dubai’s distinctive governance construction and sources stays the central query. However with 96% of presidency entities already adopting AI options and deployment timelines measured in months moderately than years, Dubai is testing that speculation in real-time—and betting that within the race to construct AI-powered governments, velocity issues as a lot as imaginative and prescient.
(Photograph by David Rodrigo)
See additionally: UAE to show its kids AI
Wish to be taught extra about AI and large information from trade leaders? Take a look at AI & Big Data Expo happening in Amsterdam, California, and London. The excellent occasion is a part of TechEx and is co-located with different main expertise occasions, click on here for extra data.
AI Information is powered by TechForge Media. Discover different upcoming enterprise expertise occasions and webinars here.
