Inside Abu Dhabi's Plans for an AI-Powered Government

Abu Dhabi is no stranger to the transformative powers of AI. Over the last decade it has become one of the fastest growing economies in the MENA region and, as result, witnessed digital evolution at pace. 

A vibrant digital economy has seen the development of next-generation infrastructure capable of adopting new and emerging technologies like AI and IoT – it is the world’s first capital city with 100% fibre-to-home broadband connectivity, has the fastest mobile network operator globally, and is home to the world’s first AI university.  

Elsewhere Abu Dhabi’s advanced technology sector has set precedents in IT, telecoms, automation and blockchain, and space exploration. 

To maintain this pace of development and position the emirate as a global leader in artificial intelligence, its Department of Government Enablement has announced its ‘Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027’. The transformative plan aims to make the emirate the world’s first fully-native government across all digital services by 2027.

Announcing the strategy, the department said it will spend AED 13bn between 2025 and 2027 to drive innovation and technology adoption and seamlessly integrate AI across all government systems to transform public service delivery. 

Digitalisation and automation

The cornerstone of the strategy is the creation of a robust digital infrastructure. This will act as a flexible and scalable foundation for achieving 100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing for government operations, ensuring processes are digitalised and fully automated. 

It will also play a crucial role in the delivery of more than 200 planned innovative AI solutions across government services. 

A unified digital ERP platform will also be developed to streamline operations and public services, enhancing efficiency and productivity across government sectors, reducing administrative overheads, and driving more sustainable economic development. 

Cybersecurity resilience will be a critical aspect of delivering the strategy and, as result, the government plans to create a comprehensive set of digital guidelines and frameworks that address potential future challenges proactively.

Discussing the announcement, His Excellency Ahmed Hisham Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE), said it “reflects our leadership’s vision of being an AI-native government, seamlessly integrating AI across all government systems for a future that is proactive, agile and fully technology-enabled. 

“By incorporating AI, cloud technologies, and data-driven insights into our government’s DNA, we will transform public service delivery, optimise government operations, and drive sustainable economic growth.”

Developing AI for all

Alongside the development of infrastructure and government capabilities, the strategy includes people-centric initiatives like the ‘AI for All’ programme, focused on investing in training and empowering citizens in AI applications.  

To maximise the potential of Abu Dhabi’s transformation, the programme will emphasise to citizens the importance of upskilling and preparing to play an active role in a more digital future. 

The potential impact of the new strategy stretches beyond government. More broadly it is predicted to contribute more than AED 24bn to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2027 and create as many as 5,000 new jobs. 

Abu Dhabi will deliver the strategy collaboratively, working with key partners such as the Advanced Technology Research Council for large language models, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence for training and citizen upskilling, and G42 for AI infrastructure development.

In announcing the new strategy the government intends to build on existing transformation programmes that have seen it progress from e-government to smart and now AI-powered services for Abu Dhabi’s citizens, residents, and businesses. 

In particular it points to recent initiatives such as the third evolution of its TAMM government services platform and the Abu Dhabi Program for Effortless Customer Experience,  saying they pave the way for next-generation digital solutions and technologies rooted in AI, sustainability, cloud computing, and data analytics.

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