When one thinks of the UAE in terms of its economy, oil and natural gas production immediately springs to mind. These industries combined, make up around 30% of the UAE’s GDP. Tourism is also a significant contributor with the region being home to some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and developments. A massive construction and infrastructure boom has increased its manufacturing base, and a growing services sector has helped the UAE diversify its economy.

When you dig a little deeper however, there is another initiative that is contributing to the growth of this open and vibrant economy-their drive to become a leading centre of excellence in Artificial Intelligence.

In October 2017, the UAE made clear its intentions to elevate technology in government policymaking and launched the UAE Strategy of Artificial Intelligence. The strategy identified potential AI applications in nine sectors, including technology, health, transport, health, energy, renewable energy, space water, environment, and traffic and education.

One of the most significant aspects of this initiative was the appointment of the world’s first Minister of State for AI. Omar bin Sultan al-Olama has, was just 27 at the time of his appointment and has been tasked with managing the UAE’s growing AI portfolio. Al-Olama has an impressive resume, before his appointment, he was member of the corporate planning team at the UAE’s Prime Minister’s Office and served as Deputy Head of Minster’s Office at the UAE’s Prime Minister’s Office. In November 2017, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation and since July 2016, he has been the Managing Director of the World Government Summit.

Since taking office, al-Olama has spearheaded several nation-wide initiatives to further entrench the regions AI objectives. There are several projects running in the region that combined, are starting to put the UAE on the forefront of AI and digital innovation. For example, the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative has prioritised digital innovation in sectors such as fintech and AI. The UAE has mapped out their Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, prioritising the adoption of technologies (such as AI) to transform business, government, and society.

Christophe Reech, Chairman of RCG says “The growth of AI adoption and R&D in the UAE is impressive and it’s a region to watch very closely. Abu Dhabi in particular is doing interesting things in this space. For example, they collaborated with IBM to launch Artificial Intelligence training workshops for Abu Dhabi government employees.  Abu Dhabi also has world-class centres for education, with a purpose-built AI university.  The launch of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is a world first. They are laying solid foundations for the future of AI.”

The graduate-level, research-based AI university, welcomed its first international students in January this year. They Initially aimed to admit 50 students, but this jumped to 101 due to the volume of applications. The university is collaborating with The Weizmann Institute of Science for research, training and student exchange initiatives. The establishment of a joint programme for artificial intelligence research will encompass machine learning, computer vision, neural sciences, computational biology and more.

Abu Dhabi has also been noted for its position as a top destination for Quality of Life, and this means they attract the top brains in the industry. Their Infrastructure is excellent with their transport links, earning the vote of the WEF Global Competitiveness Report as the number 1 in the world in 2018 for road infrastructure.

There is a massive financial imperative for the UAE to pursue technology as an alternative source of income for the region. According to a report by PwC, the impact of investment will result in a $3 bn boost to their GDP by 2031. In the GCC4 (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman), the AI contribution to the economy is expected to be almost $46 billion by 2030. Investors will be watching the developments carefully and we suspect the UAE will start to dominate the tech news in the not-too-distant future.

All regions in the UAE are contributing to the growth of AI R&D, for example, Saudi Arabia, in a Global AI Summit in October 2020, announced their National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI) The goal is to be one of the centres where Data and AI is prioritised. They aim to implement a phased plan that includes developing skills, defining policy and regulation, and investment in research and innovation.

Reech says ” The entire region intends to use AI innovation to improve all aspects of business, including health, agriculture, property, asset management and governance. This paves the way for them to become highly competitive on a global scale and I am looking forward to seeing their vison turn into reality”.