Jamal A. Ali - In a hospital in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, a medical team analyzes three-dimensional digital models of internal body organs such as lungs and liver for a patient. These models, prepared using artificial intelligence technology, assist the medical team in conducting proactive assessments of these organs and performing precise surgical treatments that surpass traditional medical approaches in handling such cases.

At Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, thousands of travelers daily pass through electronic gates equipped with facial recognition and digital passport readers, eliminating the need for human intervention or direct interaction with airport staff to verify travelers' identities or stamp their passports.

Additionally, employees in UAE entities like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Etihad Airways utilize an innovative linguistic artificial intelligence application for Arabic language called "Jes," launched by Abu Dhabi in August 2023. This application, considered world-class and serving 400 million Arabic speakers, is analogous to the "ChatGPT" application in English.

These examples are part of a long list of methods employed by the UAE utilizing artificial intelligence technologies to enhance performance, boost productivity, save time, reduce costs, and span various sectors including healthcare, security, tourism, education, and services. This aligns with the UAE's National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, focusing on preparing for a post-oil era by building the world's best and most active economy through leveraging the Fourth Industrial Revolution to reinforce comprehensive industrial transformation and establish a competitive and sustainable knowledge economy driven by advanced technology and related industries.

The UAE has positioned artificial intelligence at the core of its forward-looking vision for the future, "UAE Centennial 2071," aiming to make the UAE one of the best, most innovative, and fastest-growing countries globally. International studies, including one by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), estimate that artificial intelligence could contribute around $96 billion to the national economy by 2035, with its contribution to the GDP reaching about 14% by the end of the decade.

The UAE has been at the forefront among Arab countries and globally in developing plans and strategies focusing on investing in artificial intelligence, smart systems, and automation since announcing the "e-Government" system in 2001, becoming the first country in the region to implement such a system. Subsequently, it transitioned to the "Smart Government" system in 2013, another regional milestone, completing the full transformation to the "Smart Government" system in 2015.

However, the significant and pivotal step in the country's direction towards employing artificial intelligence to support comprehensive industrial and commercial transformation and enhance economic diversity came in October 2017 when the UAE launched the "National Artificial Intelligence Strategy," embodying the state's plans and objectives to become a leading global hub in this field by 2031. In the same year, it appointed the world's first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and established the "UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transactions" in 2018 to enhance the use of artificial intelligence and digital transactions in various sectors and fields of work, supporting knowledge and expertise exchange efforts, setting policies to foster an innovative environment, attracting global and national talents and experiences, and encouraging advanced and specialized studies and research in various artificial intelligence and digital transaction fields.

Following these initiatives, a new Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology was established in 2020, based on the concepts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution "Industry 4.0," to transform the industrial sector in the UAE into a smart industry sector by integrating artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twinning, additive manufacturing, and other technologies. This focuses on future sectors such as aerospace and satellite industries, clean and renewable energy, heavy industries, petrochemicals, agricultural technology, defense industries, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, medical devices and equipment, among others. The ministry collaborates with the "UAE Development Bank," dedicating approximately $1.5 billion to support digital transformation operations in UAE factories and stimulate the growth of future industries.

Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development's Industrial Development Bureau launched several initiatives, such as establishing the "Empowerment Center for Smart Manufacturing" to support the transition to Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and methodologies, the "Smart Manufacturing Incentives Program" to support digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the industrial sector through adopting smart manufacturing methods, the Value Chain Development Program to enhance and improve the investment environment in the industrial sector, and the "Tech Pioneers" initiative to equip workers in Abu Dhabi's food industries with Fourth Industrial Revolution skills and develop their cognitive and technological capabilities.

In addition to the significant efforts to enhance the institutional, logistical, and financial infrastructure to support the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into industrial and commercial strategies in the country, the UAE has focused on developing the local human capital and building a generation of qualified Emirati specialists in AI, attracting expertise and researchers from leading global institutions in this field.

In 2019, the UAE established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi, the world's first specialized university for postgraduate research in AI. MBZUAI successfully recruited 52 top researchers, over half of whom had previously worked at the world's top 100 AI institutions. Within a few years of its founding, MBZUAI ranked 19th globally in the CSRankings for AI, computer vision, and machine learning, surpassing renowned research universities like the University of Michigan, University of Toronto, Georgia Tech, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, and University of Sydney.

In addition to offering advanced academic programs, MBZUAI plays a pivotal role in developing the capabilities of industrial leaders from both public and private sectors, as well as government officials, equipping them with the necessary knowledge to integrate AI solutions and advanced technology into operational plans of factories, enterprises, and various entities in the country.

The UAE's National Program for Artificial Intelligence also organizes a summer training program for university and school students called the "UAE AI Summer Camp," in collaboration with public and private sector entities and leading global technology partners. The goal is to expand the beneficiary base of knowledge transfer efforts, fostering a generation capable of adopting modern technologies for solution development, technological foresight, and deepening understanding of future areas.

These initiatives have significantly contributed to AI adoption in various economic and governmental entities. For example, statistics from Dataiku, a specialized U.S. AI company, indicated that 75% of companies and institutions in the UAE continued to maintain or increase budgets allocated for investing in AI programs and tools for operational processes. Another study conducted by Coursera in collaboration with YouGov revealed that about 83% of UAE companies expressed readiness to integrate generative AI technologies into their operations.

Moreover, the UAE government's initiative "NextGenFDI," launched in July 2022, aimed at attracting global digital companies specializing in AI and advanced technology applications across various sectors. By May 2023, the UAE had attracted 80 multinational companies from different countries and diverse technology sectors, including software development, data analytics, fintech, agri-tech, food tech, transportation tech, health tech, education tech, and cryptocurrency.

These efforts align with the UAE's National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, effectively enabling a resilient and diversified national economy by stimulating national industries that embrace innovation and employ modern technology in industrial systems and solutions, producing high-quality products and services efficiently and competitively.

The UAE's focus in the coming years is on further advancing knowledge, skills, and human and technical capabilities in utilizing AI for significant economic and social benefits, bringing about revolutionary positive changes across various sectors, and transforming lifestyles to ensure greater prosperity and progress for the UAE, its people, and humanity as a whole.

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