Big news from Dubai AI Week; Abu Dhabi plans AI life sciences hub
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
First of all, I'm proud to announce that Middle East AI News is now a media partner of GETS 2025, the Governance of Emerging Technologies Summit! The landmark event is organised under the auspices of the Advanced Technology Reseach Council (ATRC). From 5-6 May 2025, the summit will bring together over 500 global attendees to drive global collaboration on the governance of AI and emerging tech.
A crazy news week, with Dubai overtaken by Dubai AI Week, an overflow of news from last week’s Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, plus other news from around the region. So, I’ll say no more!
Scroll down for these stories and more. View web page for full length newsletter.
And - if you’re in Dubai - don’t forget that the AI Film and Ad Festival takes place at the Theatre of Digital Art at the Souq Madinat Jumeirah today, starting at 4pm!
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Dubai AI Week
Dubai launches AI policy for all government entities
#UAE #policy – Dubai has unveiled a new AI Policy for Government Entities during Dubai AI Week 2025. Developed by Digital Dubai and Dubai Future Foundation, the policy sets a unified framework for ethical, scalable and citizen-focused AI adoption across government departments. (Dubai Media Office)
Dubai RTA's AI strategy to reduce travel times by 30%
#UAE #AIstrategy - Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) unveiled its AI Strategy 2030, launching 81 projects to accelerate AI adoption. The plan aims to cut travel times by 30%, boost productivity by 40%,. (Middle East AI News)
Dubai Health announces UAE’s first AI Literacy Framework
#UAE #AIliteracy - Dubai Health has unveiled ALiF—the UAE’s first Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework—developed by Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) to upskill professionals in healthcare, research, and education. (Middle East AI News)
325 companies applied for Dubai AI Seal
#UAE #certifications – Dubai Centre for AI has registered 325 company applications under the Dubai AI Seal programme, launched in January to foster trust in AI services. The framework supports responsible AI procurement by evaluating providers on R&D, legitimacy, and capability. (Middle East AI News)
Dubai unveils AI tools for Arabic content
#UAE #Arabic – Dubai Media Academy has launched an initiative to develop AI tools tailored to Arabic dialects. Announced during Dubai AI Week, the project aims to empower content creators with culturally aware generative tools. (Middle East AI News)
Dubai launches world’s first AI compliance tool for public finance
#UAE #publicfinance – Dubai Finance (DOF) has launched ASCEND, the world’s first AI-powered compliance platform for public finance. The system automates risk detection and reporting, enhancing government oversight. (Middle East AI News)
Arabic.AI debuts enterprise platform at Dubai AI Week
#UAE #Arabic – A new AI business solutions company, Arabic.AI, was launched today at Dubai AI Week by Tarjama&. Built on the Pronoia LLM,, the new Arabic-native AI platform for enterprise users, with a focus on healthcare, legal, media, and government sectors. (Middle East AI News)
Senior managers in Dubai government use GenAI tools weekly
#UAE #GenAI - A new MBRSG-DGHR report reveals that 64% of senior managers in Dubai’s government use Generative AI tools weekly. However, just 16% of staff consider themselves advanced users. (Middle East AI News)
Hamdan honours winners of Prompt Engineering Championship
#UAE #prompting - Four global champions were awarded a total of AED 1 million at the Global Prompt Engineering Championship during Dubai AI Week. The event drew 3,800+ entries from 125 countries. Winners hailed from the UAE, Syria, Canada, and Palestine in Coding, Video, Gaming, and Art categories. (Dubai Media Office)
du, Microsoft in $544mln UAE data centre deal
#UAE #datacentres – Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) has announced a AED 2 billion ($544.54m) deal with Microsoft for a new hyperscale data centre in Dubai. The facility will be built and operated by du, with Microsoft as the anchor tenant. (Reuters)
UAE among top AI-ready emerging economies – BCG
#UAE #AIreadiness – The UAE has been ranked a top AI Contender in BCG’s 2024 AI Maturity Matrix, positioning it among 31 leading emerging economies in artificial intelligence. The study highlights the country's rising private investment, talent development, and R&D innovation. (Zawya)
Jacky’s launches agentic AI for autonomous enterprise
#UAE #agenticAI– Jacky’s Business Solutions has unveiled its Agentic AI Solutions, aimed at helping GCC enterprises deploy self-directed AI agents. These systems aim to help meet rising demand for autonomous technologies in sectors like retail, logistics, and government. (Zawya)
Abu Dhabi Global Health Week
Abu Dhabi launches HELM AI life sciences hub
#UAE #Healthtech – Abu Dhabi has unveiled HELM, a new AI-powered life sciences cluster for drug discovery and personalised medicine. Led by ADIO and the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, and supported by MBZUAI, M42, and Hub71, the cluster aims to attract global investment and enhance the emirate’s healthcare innovation ecosystem. (Middle East AI News)
New global AI and health hub launches in Abu Dhabi
#UAE #Healthtech – A new AI and Healthcare Innovation Hub backed by M42, SRI International, and VantageBridge has launched in Abu Dhabi. Targeting the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, the hub will support digital health research and start-up growth, leveraging the capital’s health data infrastructure. (Middle East AI News)
Abu Dhabi and Microsoft launch digital twin for health
#UAE #Healthtech – The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Microsoft will co-develop a Population Health Intelligence framework. Unveiled at Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, it will use AI and digital twin tech to predict and prevent chronic disease, enabling data-driven public health interventions. (Middle East AI News)
Burjeel to deploy generative AI with Hippocratic
#UAE #Healthcare – Burjeel Holdings has partnered with Hippocratic AI to introduce generative AI agents across its UAE and Oman operations. The AI tools will enhance patient experience by supporting non-diagnostic services and reducing wait times, aligning with broader digital health ambitions. (Middle East AI News)
Facial ID
UAE to replace Emirates ID with facial recognition
#UAE #Digitalidentity – The UAE will phase out Emirates ID cards in favour of an AI-powered Facial ID system within a year. Developed by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, the platform will support Facial ID verification in banking, healthcare, and telecom. (Middle East AI News)
Digital Transformation
Morocco launches $19.4 million civil registry digitisation
#Morocco #govtech – Morocco’s Ministry of Interior has launched a MAD 194 million ($19.4m) project to digitise 38 million civil registry records nationwide. The initiative will convert 27 million paper records and upgrade 11 million digital files, enhancing data security and access across 1,821 registry offices. (Morocco World News)
Startups
CODE launches Tech Founders programme for global scale
#Saudi #startups – Saudi Arabia’s Center of Digital Entrepreneurship (CODE) has launched the third edition of its “Tech Founders” programme to empower startup founders through training camps, global incubation in London and Singapore, and digital incentives, supporting growth and international expansion. (SPA)
Omani AI startup wins acclaim for deaf-aid innovation
#Oman #assistivetech – Omani startup Sirius has developed Language, an AI-powered system using smart glasses, a smartwatch, and an app to help the deaf and mute communicate. The device won silver at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. Global investors are already showing interest. (Muscat Daily)
Healthcare
Sidra and Vitafluence.ai sign AI healthcare MoU
#Qatar #healthtech – Sidra Medicine has signed a three-year MoU with Germany’s Vitafluence.ai GmbH and Swiss venture EmpathicAI.Life to boost AI-driven healthcare. The deal covers developing solutions, pilot programmes, and knowledge sharing to personalise patient care and support decision-making. (Qatar Tribune)
Education
Egypt and Microsoft to train 100,000 in AI
#Egypt #Training – Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and IT has partnered with Microsoft to train 100,000 individuals in AI. The initiative, part of Egypt’s AI Strategy 2025–2030, targets youth and government employees. (Middle East AI News)
Doha and Innopolis partner on AI research
#Qatar #education – The University of Doha for Science and Technology has signed an MoU with Russia’s Innopolis University to boost collaboration in AI. The deal includes joint research, student exchanges, and start-up support, aiming to strengthen regional innovation capacity. (Zawya)
KAUST hosts Rising Stars in AI 2025 symposium
#Saudi #research – KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) held the "Rising Stars in AI Symposium 2025" to spotlight emerging global AI talent and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s AI leadership. The event featured research from top AI conferences. (SPA)
Vodafone Oman funds AI research scholarship at SQU
#Oman #research – Vodafone Oman has partnered with Sultan Qaboos University to support AI and digital research. The collaboration includes a PhD scholarship and a new innovation award, contributing to Oman’s growing technology ecosystem. (Zawya)
Robotaxis
50 self-driving taxis to begin testing in Dubai
#UAE #AVs – Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Baidu's Apollo Go will launch 50 autonomous taxis in 2025, ahead of a 2026 public rollout. This is Apollo Go’s first international expansion and a key milestone in Dubai’s goal to make 25% of all trips driverless by 2030. (Gulf Business)
AI Diplomacy & Trade
UAE sees chip access progress after $1.4tn pledge
#UAE #AIchips – The UAE is making headway in securing access to advanced semiconductors as part of its $1.4 trillion tech investment drive. In a Bloomberg interview, G42 CEO Peng Xiao confirmed progress in talks with the US, underlining the chips’ critical role in the country’s AI strategy. (Mint)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]