Global Signals: Why the UAE Is Betting So Heavily on Artificial Intelligence

Every couple of decades or so, a certain technology emerges that prompts governments around theworld to stop viewing it merely as a tool and start treating it as a national strategy.

Artificial Intelligence has become that technology, almost unnoticed.

Worldwide, governments are trying to figure out how AI will impact different sectors of the economy, such as healthcare logistics finance, and transportation. However, some nations are still continuing to move at a much slower pace than others, hence the UAE has very explicitly shown its position through a number of actions.

It desires to be in the future rather than just being an observer of the future happening elsewhere.

Such a way of thinking is reflected in recent achievements. For example, the major initiatives of Dubai to smart city platforms, experiments with driverless vehicles, and government digital services are the signs of an even bigger desire: change of the economy to a more diversified one than relying only on theproduction of oil and gas.

Artificial Intelligence seems like a perfect match for the same goal.

Theoretically, AI can indeed bring about change in the way societies operate. Road management systems can be enhanced; the level of responsiveness of the government to the needs of the people can be substantially increased; companies can efficiently organize their back-office processes and allocate more of their resources to research and product development.

But the intention goes beyond that.

The UAE recognizes that it might be the countries which rapidly embrace technological changes that lead the next era of global influence.

Although petroleum was the foundation of the economy in the region, the future would most probably be dictated by knowledge-based industries such as software robotics advanced manufacturing and data science.

That also entails the attraction of highly qualified personnel.

If you take a stroll through major tech exhibitions in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you will hear quite a few different languages. European engineers and South Asian developers being in deep discussions over machine learning. North American investors meeting Middle Eastern founders.

Its intriguing, a whirlwind, unpredictable even. However, this is typically how a tech revolution looks like at the initial stages.

It hardly matters whether every AI implementation is a success or not. The countrys path is ultimately what is most crucial.

The UAE is not just standing on the sidelines to see what the upcoming tech age will be like.

It is actively endeavoring to be one of its creators.