UAE sets two-year roadmap to integrate AI into 50% of government operations

The UAE has announced an ambitious two-year roadmap to integrate agentic artificial intelligence into 50% of its government operations. 

According to a report from local news outlets, the UAE aims to shift half of all public sectors, services, and day-to-day processes toward autonomous systems by the transition. Officials say the approach could position the UAE as the first government to operate at such a scale using AI-driven execution.

“AI is no longer a tool. It analyses, decides, executes, and improves in real time. It will become our executive partner to enhance services, accelerate decisions, and raise efficiency,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in an X post.

He added that the rollout will follow a defined schedule. “This transformation has a clear timeline. Two years. Performance across government will be measured by speed of adoption, quality of implementation, and mastery of AI in redesigning government work.”

Training government employees in AI

Authorities plan to roll out the programme in phases across ministries and federal entities, with ongoing performance and impact reviews guiding each stage. The phased structure is intended to support a steady expansion across departments once early deployments show results.

Developing local expertise forms a central part of the plan. Government employees will undergo training to build proficiency in generative AI systems and their real-world applications, ensuring teams can manage and deploy these technologies effectively.

This isn’t a sudden shift, but rather the next step in a digital journey that has been decades in the making. The UAE has already laid the groundwork through eGovernment services and digital identity systems like UAE Pass.

By moving toward autonomous AI, the goal is to shift public services from being reactive to being proactive, where the systems themselves anticipate needs before they even arise.