New model reads Ancient hieroglyphics; Abu Dhabi deploys Copilot
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!
As usual, lots of news to share this week! In this edition, Abu Dhabi government deploys Microsoft Copilot to 35,000 civil servants; Qatar launches a Global Alliance for AI Ethics; Egypt startup unveils pioneering hieroglyphics-reading AI models; and new research highlights both Tunisia’s AI readiness gap.
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/Carrington
AI Models
Horus Hiero reads Ancient hieroglyphics
#Egypt #hieroglyphics – Alexandria-based TokenAI has launched Horus Hiero 9B and Horus Hiero Mini 4B, multimodal AI models that natively read, translate and reason across Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and more than 100 languages. The open-weight models could transform museum experiences, Egyptology research and cultural heritage applications. (Middle East AI News)
Digital Government
Abu Dhabi deploys Copilot to 35,000 staff
#UAE #agenticAI – Abu Dhabi has rolled out Microsoft 365 Copilot to 35,000 civil servants across 27 government entities. The sovereign AI deployment supports the emirate’s ambition to become the world’s first AI-native government by 2027, alongside an AI Factory developing more than 1,000 AI agents. (Middle East AI News)
Bahrain reaches 95% digital public services
#Bahrain #digitalgovernment – Bahrain says 95 per cent of public services are now available online, with biometric identity verification expected to remove almost all remaining in-person requirements by the end of 2027. The government is also expanding AI-powered digital assistants and a unified services platform. (GDN Online)
Smart Cities
Dubai expands city-scale digital twin
#UAE #smartcities – Dubai Municipality has launched phase three of its Digital Twin Platform, integrating more than 1,500 geospatial data layers. The platform now includes 3D models covering 195,000 buildings and 280,000 infrastructure assets to support planning, infrastructure management and resilience. (Middle East AI News)
Presight signs Kazakhstan AI transport deal
#Kazakhstan #transport – Abu Dhabi-based Presight has signed a term sheet with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport to develop a national AI-powered transport intelligence platform. The proposed system will integrate monitoring, weigh-in-motion and video analytics to improve road safety, infrastructure protection and transport oversight. (Middle East AI News)
Dubai Police launch next-generation AI patrols
#UAE #security – Dubai Police has unveiled the second generation of its Ghiath smart patrol vehicles in partnership with Al-Futtaim and BYD. Built on the plug-in hybrid DENZA B8, the AI-enabled patrols enhance policing and response. (Gulf News)
Oman AI predicts water pipeline failures
#Oman #water resources – Oman’s ThermoLeak AI will represent the country at the London International Youth Science Forum. The AI-powered predictive monitoring system identifies potential pipeline failures before they occur, helping reduce water losses and improve sustainable water resource management. (Muscat Daily)
Education
UAE trains 25,000 teachers in AI
#UAE #education – Abu Dhabi-based Alef Education and Microsoft have trained around 25,000 educators across 710 UAE schools in just seven weeks. Delivered through the Alef Academy platform, the initiative supports classroom AI adoption and the UAE’s broader artificial intelligence strategy. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi AI sandbox recognised by World Bank
#Saudi #education – Saudi Arabia’s AI education sandbox, developed by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and led by the National eLearning Center, has been recognised by the World Bank as a global example of responsible AI innovation. The platform has received 652 submissions, completed three cohorts and engaged 2,884 participants from more than 55 countries. (Middle East AI News)
Startups
Emirates NBD launches AI FinTech accelerator
#UAE #fintech – Emirates NBD and Techstars have launched an AI and FinTech accelerator in Dubai to move startups directly into enterprise deployment. Selected founders gain access to the bank’s cloud-native infrastructure and nine million active customers across the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye. (Middle East AI News)
Governance
Qatar launches global AI ethics alliance
#Switzerland #ethics – Qatar has launched the Global Alliance for AI Ethics during the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva. Led by Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), the initiative aims to bring broader cultural perspectives into international AI governance and ethical frameworks. (Middle East AI News)
Arab states join UN AI governance dialogue
#Switzerland #governance – Ministers and policymakers from across the Arab world including Egypt, Morocco ,Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia took part in the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva this week alongside the AI for Good Global Summit. Discussions focus on AI for development, responsible AI, digital inclusion, and infrastructure. (SPA) (The National) (Egypt SIS)
Morocco signs AI partnership for digital skills
#Morocco #skills – Morocco has signed a public-private partnership with ALTEN Group and three government ministries to accelerate AI skills, digital innovation and industrial transformation under its Morocco Digital 2030 strategy. The initiative expands AI research, specialised training, technology platforms and advanced engineering capabilities. (Morocco World News)
AI Adoption
Only 8% of Tunisian firms AI-ready
#Tunisia #readiness – Just 7.8 per cent of Tunisian companies are fully prepared to realise the benefits of AI, according to a study by ITCEQ. Surveying 1,208 firms, the report identifies funding constraints and digital skills shortages as the biggest barriers to wider AI adoption and innovation. (Africa AI News)
Healthcare
startAD launches AI adoption resources
#UAE #healthcare – Abu Dhabi’s startAD has introduced an AI Adoption Barometer, implementation playbooks and a new resource hub to help healthcare and social impact organisations accelerate responsible AI deployment and practical implementation. (Middle East AI News)
Banking
Attijariwafa Bank selects staff AI projects
#Morocco #banking – Attijariwafa Bank has selected five employee-developed AI projects to improve customer service, fraud detection, risk management and operational efficiency. Chosen from an internal innovation programme, the projects will now be reviewed for deployment across the bank, which serves more than 12 million customers in 27 countries. (ITWeb Africa)
Agentic AI
Inception42, Microsoft scale sovereign AI agents
#UAE #partnerships – Inception42 and Microsoft are expanding sovereign agentic AI for government and enterprise, integrating Catalyst AI OS with Microsoft 365 Copilot to support secure, in-country AI deployment. (Zawya)
Competitions
Oman launches Agentic AI competition
#Oman #education – Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has launched the second Engineer It with Artificial Intelligence Competition. Twenty-five teams will develop Agentic AI solutions using national open data, supported by training, mentoring and workshops before presenting projects later this year. (Times of Oman)
Sport
G42 unveils AI-designed Tour de France helmet
#UAE #sportstech – G42, UAE Team Emirates-XRG and MET Helmets have unveiled an AI-designed cycling helmet for Stage 5 of the Tour de France. G42 has also reopened its Helmetverse platform after attracting nearly 20,000 fan-created designs from 135 countries in its debut edition. (WAM)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]