The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense plans to roll out digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) projects as part of efforts to modernize the country’s operational systems, Gulf News reported.
The initiative was launched following instructions from the UAE leadership. This will be overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of State for Digital Transformation, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence and strategic partners.
The ministry announced that these projects are aimed at accelerating the integration of advanced digital technologies within the defense sector, increasing efficiency and aligning the sector’s operations with the Gulf state’s ambitions for a more agile and responsive digital government as part of the UAE Digital Transformation Strategy 2031.
This program will focus on the use of AI in planning, data analysis, and the development of advanced systems to improve resource management. It also aims to increase the ministry’s ability to respond quickly to domestic and international technical challenges.
The ministry said these efforts are part of a broader effort to upgrade digital infrastructure, integrate AI systems across defense operations, and develop national capabilities for future digital transformation plans. It argued that these projects are aimed at strengthening the military’s position among the top institutions implementing emerging technologies.
UAE to move 50% of government services to AI by 2028
On April 23, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced a major digital shift in the UAE government.
Sheikh Mohammed said on his official X account that following the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE will convert half of its government services and operations to autonomous AI within two years.
“AI is no longer a tool. It analyzes, decides, executes and improves in real time. It will become an executive partner that will enhance our services, accelerate decision-making and increase efficiency,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “There is a clear timeline for this transformation: two years. Performance across government will be measured by speed of adoption, quality of implementation, and AI proficiency in redesigning government operations.”
He added that federal employees will be trained to master AI and its implementation will be overseen by a dedicated task force chaired by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Presidential Court, and Mohammad Al Ghagawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs.
This project focuses on rethinking government policies, processes, and procedures in line with advances in AI. By enabling smart systems to perform tasks proactively and accurately, the UAE seeks to reduce operational costs while increasing productivity by delivering faster and more efficient public services. The project will be implemented in phases across departments and federal agencies, with ongoing performance and impact evaluations.
The decision to deploy agent AI across government operations builds on 20 years of digital transformation in the UAE. It started with early adoption of e-government and modernization of government integration systems, such as the UAE Pass ID verification platform. This is an effort to introduce proactive, data-driven service delivery through Government Services 2.0.
In 2017, the UAE appointed the world’s first Minister for Artificial Intelligence and launched the Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, building on the UAE Centenary 2071 Vision. The establishment of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications in 2020 further strengthened our commitment to the future with artificial intelligence and innovation.
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