Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and President-designate of the Cop28 summit, has stated that AI research and adoption across industries will help the UAE achieve its economic diversification goals and generate economic and social value. During a visit to the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, Dr Al Jaber pointed out that projections show AI solutions are set to contribute an estimated $13 trillion to the global gross domestic product by 2030, optimising the industries of the future and improving billions of lives in the process. As the first university to focus solely on AI, Mohamed bin Zayed University aims to attract students from all over the world to advance the technology and boost the UAE’s economic diversification efforts. Established in 2019, it is chaired by Dr Al Jaber.
In 2017, the UAE government released an AI strategy, UAE 2031, outlining plans to use the technology to enhance governance efficiency and transform eight key sectors, including space, renewable energy, water, and education. The UAE was among the first nations to recognise the potential of AI for its economy, and it appointed the world’s first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar Al Olama.
AI is widely expected to become the UAE’s most important industry over the next decade, according to a survey of technology and engineering workers by the UK-based Institution of Engineering and Technology. It is expected to rank ahead of construction, electronics, aerospace, robotics, design engineering, and IT and cybersecurity. Dr Al Jaber said that AI would contribute to the UAE’s net-zero strategic initiative by 2050 and unlock advances in climate progress. He said that the technologies being developed today had the potential to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and ensure that economic growth and climate progress go hand in hand.
During his visit, Dr Al Jaber met with researchers from the Mohamed bin Zayed University and the Inception Institute of Artificial Intelligence to discuss research projects that will deliver on the UAE’s national priorities, including sustainable environment and infrastructure, world-class health care and education systems, and exploring large language models, particularly in Arabic. He was also briefed on a joint project between MBZUAI and IBM that aims to provide a data engine to identify urban areas in Abu Dhabi with excessive heat, which could be used to inform climate and sustainability policies.
