When Dubai launched its State of AI Report in April 2025, revealing over 100 high-impact AI use cases, the emirate wasn’t just showcasing technological prowess—it was making a calculated bet that speed, not spending, would determine which cities win the global race for AI-powered governance.
In an exclusive interview, Matar Al Hemeiri, Chief Executive of Digital Dubai Government Establishment, revealed how Dubai’s approach to AI government efficiency differs fundamentally from both its regional competitors and established Asian tech hubs—and why the emirate believes its model of rapid deployment paired with binding ethical frameworks offers a blueprint other governments will eventually follow.
The DubaiAI advantage: 180 services, one virtual assistant
While neighbouring Abu Dhabi announced a $4.8 billion investment to become the world’s first fully AI-powered government by 2027, Dubai has taken a different path. “Abu Dhabi’s investment is focused on building an end-to-end AI-powered government infrastructure,” Al Hemeiri explained. “Dubai’s model is to embed AI ethics, interoperability, and explainability into a scalable governance framework.”
The results are already visible. DubaiAI, the citywide AI-powered virtual assistant, now provides information on more than 180 public services—a figure that represents one of the most comprehensive government AI chatbot deployments globally. The system handles 60% of routine government inquiries while cutting operational costs by 35%.
But Al Hemeiri pushed back against the narrative that AI automation inevitably means job losses. “Automation frees our workforce from repetitive, informational tasks,” he said. “Employees are being reskilled and redeployed into higher-value roles such as AI oversight, service design, and strategic policy work.”
The timing couldn’t be more critical. Dubai’s population growth has created an “immense spike in demand for government services,” according to Al Hemeiri, making AI-driven efficiency not just a competitive advantage but an operational necessity.
Speed as strategy: From pilot to deployment in months
What sets Dubai apart in AI government efficiency isn’t just what it builds—it’s how quickly it deploys. “In Dubai, once an AI initiative is announced, it is swiftly activated, moving from pilot to deployment within months, far faster than the global norm,” Al Hemeiri emphasised.
The numbers back this claim. In 2025, over 96% of government entities had adopted at least one AI solution, and 60% of surveyed users preferred AI-supported services.
Dubai benchmarks itself against leading smart cities like Singapore, Berlin, Helsinki, and Tallinn, but argues its integration of AI ethics directly into procurement and deployment provides a decisive edge.
“Our competitive edge lies in the speed with which Dubai operationalises its ethics,” Al Hemeiri said, addressing a common criticism that AI governance frameworks are purely theoretical. “The AI Policy is not a theoretical framework; it is a binding set of principles and technical requirements applied to every AI deployment across government.”
This approach builds on the Ethical AI Toolkit launched in 2019, making Dubai one of the few cities globally where ethical compliance is embedded from procurement to performance evaluation.
Beyond chatbots: Healthcare, energy, and predictive services
While DubaiAI captures headlines, Al Hemeiri pointed to less-publicised implementations delivering measurable impact. AI models are now detecting chronic conditions such as diabetes at earlier stages, while predictive algorithms improve auditing systems within the Dubai Health Authority.
In energy infrastructure, smart grids powered by real-time AI forecasting tools are optimising consumption and reducing environmental impact. The most ambitious project currently in development is Dubai’s predictive public services platform, which will use integrated data and AI to anticipate citizen needs—from automated license renewals to preventive healthcare notifications.
“We have begun efforts on building this project, with full rollout targeted for the early 2030s,” Al Hemeiri revealed. Elements of this vision are already being tested through AI-enabled urban planning tools and citywide digital twins that simulate policy outcomes before implementation.
Data sovereignty: A hybrid model between China and GDPR
Dubai’s approach to data governance offers a middle path between China’s strict localisation requirements and the EU’s GDPR framework. “Dubai’s model offers a hybrid—anonymised citizen data remains within Dubai’s jurisdiction under robust sovereignty laws, but can be securely shared across entities with the user’s consent for government services, through the nation’s official digital identity platform: UAE PASS,” Al Hemeiri explained.
A key differentiator is Dubai’s embrace of synthetic data frameworks. “They allow us to develop and test AI systems at scale while preserving privacy and maintaining compliance with Dubai’s data sovereignty requirements,” he said. This approach enables faster innovation cycles while addressing privacy concerns that have hampered AI development in other jurisdictions.
The startup sandbox: Real integration, not just regulatory relief
Dubai positions itself as a testing ground for AI startups, but Al Hemeiri argued the emirate offers more than regulatory flexibility. “Dubai’s AI sandboxes combine regulatory flexibility with direct access to government datasets and real-world testing environments,” he said.
One healthcare diagnostics startup piloted within Dubai’s sandbox has already integrated its AI triage tool into Dubai Health Authority services.
“Because our ecosystem operates as an interconnected digital operating system, startups in our sandboxes can test solutions that seamlessly integrate with other city services, from mobility innovations like the Dubai Loop and eVTOL air taxis to healthcare AI diagnostics,” Al Hemeiri explained.
Converting global attention into economic returns
Dubai AI Week 2025 attracted participants from 100 countries and partnerships with Meta, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. But Al Hemeiri insisted the emirate is focused on converting attention into tangible outcomes.
“We have established post-event working groups with each of these partners to identify and accelerate joint projects,” he said, citing AI upskilling programs, R&D collaborations, and pilot deployments in healthcare, mobility, and urban planning.
These partnerships feed directly into Dubai’s D33 Economic Agenda, which aims to generate AED 100 billion annually from digital innovation. The State of AI Report projects AI could contribute over AED 235 billion to Dubai’s economy by 2030—a figure that represents nearly 20% of the emirate’s targeted economic expansion.
Quiet wins and future risks
When pressed about initiatives that deliver value without media fanfare, Al Hemeiri highlighted the UN Citiverse Challenge, co-led by Digital Dubai and global partners, which brings together innovators to design AI-powered solutions for inclusive public services and sustainability.
He also pointed to Dubai Future Foundation’s autonomous delivery robot, already being piloted on Dubai streets to improve last-mile delivery efficiency while reducing congestion and emissions.
On risks, Al Hemeiri was direct: “The greatest risk is scaling without sufficient oversight.” Dubai mitigates this through continuous system audits and a requirement for explainability in all public sector AI.
Al Hemeiri added that ensuring ROI “is crucial for us when deciding to build an AI use case. We calculate this when planning a project, and only move ahead once we are convinced we will be able to attain the expected ROI for the city.”
The five-year test
Asked what would constitute failure five years from now, Al Hemeiri said that it “would mean fragmented AI adoption without improving citizen trust, efficiency, or quality of life.”
Success, conversely, would be “when AI-powered public services are seamless, anticipatory, and inclusive, easing the lives of citizens and residents, and naturally becoming a blueprint replicated by other governments globally.”
It’s an ambitious vision—one that positions Dubai not just as a fast follower in AI government efficiency, but as a potential model for how cities can deploy transformative technology at speed without sacrificing ethical oversight or public trust.
Whether that model proves replicable beyond Dubai’s unique governance structure and resources remains the central question. But with 96% of government entities already adopting AI solutions and deployment timelines measured in months rather than years, Dubai is testing that hypothesis in real-time—and betting that in the race to build AI-powered governments, velocity matters as much as vision.
(Photo by David Rodrigo)
See also: UAE to teach its children AI
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