UAE opens third edition of National AI Award
Five categories target government AI use, award focus backs Agentic AI rollout
#UAE #awards - The UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain has opened registration for the third edition of the UAE AI Award, shifting its focus to Agentic AI across five categories covering government services, homegrown solutions, public-private partnerships, scientific research and individual leadership. Announced by Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the award supports the UAE’s target of integrating Agentic AI into 50 percent of government sectors, services and operations. The first two UAE AI Award editions drew more than 540 applications.
SO WHAT? - The award's shift to agentic AI lands right as the UAE runs against the clock on its own two-year target, set in April 2026, to deploy agentic AI across half of government sectors, services and operations. Ministers and directors general are already being assessed on how fast they adopt it, meaning that award entries could provide a live snapshot of which entities are actually pulling ahead in the UAE’s agentic AI race their own leadership performance now depends on.
KEY POINTS:
The UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain launched the third edition of the UAE AI Award, shifting its focus from general AI adoption to Agentic AI specifically.
The award covers five categories:
Excellence in Agentic AI-Powered Services,
Agentic AI Solutions Developed in the UAE,
Best Government-Private Partnership in Agentic AI,
Agentic AI Scientific Research, and an
AI Leader category for individuals
The initiative supports the UAE’s next phase of government transformation, which aims to integrate Agentic AI across 50% of government sectors, services and operations.
Federal, local and semi-government entities, private sector organisations, academic institutions and individuals can all apply, with details available at ai.gov.ae/aiaward.
The award’s first two editions attracted more than 540 applications from entities and individuals across a range of sectors.
H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence chairs the Board of Directors of The Digital School and holds the government’s AI portfolio, positioning the award within the UAE’s wider national AI strategy.
ZOOM OUT - The UAE Cabinet formed the Council for Artificial Intelligence in 2018 to oversee AI integration across government departments and education, tasking it with proposing policies for an AI-friendly ecosystem, backing advanced research, and building collaboration between the public and private sectors, including international institutions. The Council sits behind the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the country's roadmap to become a world leader in AI by 2031, and works through a network of committees and sub-councils set up to carry that strategy forward.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain
LINKS
Apply for the UAE AI Award (AI Award page)