UAE runs 90-day AI sprint across government; ME consumers love AI shopping!
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!
Another huge week for AI across the Middle East! The biggest news story of the week is the latest move by the UAE government to implement AI.
Seven weeks ago the UAE government announced an initiative to deploy agentic AI across 50% of all public services within two years. Yesterday, after weeks of intensive preparation, the government gave 50 government entities 90-days to identify, design and start deploying their own agentic AI service or operation!
Also in this issue: du launches a $50 million venture fund with Shorooq; Zoom opens a second Saudi data centre; Qualcomm, Aramco, RDIA and HUMAIN unveil the DISAI 2026 DeepTech cohort; Visa reports AI-assisted shopping is now mainstream across the region; and an IBM study finds that MEA organisations expect the world’s fastest growth in AI agents over the next year!
As usual, thanks to sponsor US-based developer of hardware and software for AI inference Positron AI! Start a conversation with Positron and find out about how to achieve the highest performance and the lowest cost per token for AI inference here.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Agentic AI
UAE runs 90-day AI sprint across government
#UAE #Government - The UAE Federal Government has launched a 90-day agentic AI sprint across 50 federal entities following a Dubai workshop attended by more than 300 officials. Each entity must design and begin implementing its own AI service as part of a programme to transform 50 per cent of government sectors, services and operations within two years. (Middle East AI News)
MEA CIOs forecast world’s fastest AI agent growth
#MiddleEast #agenticAI - IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study finds CIOs and CTOs in the Middle East and Africa expect AI agent numbers to grow by up to 87 per cent between 2026 and 2027, the highest rate globally. Yet only 11 per cent of technology leaders worldwide feel fully prepared, while 77 per cent say AI adoption is outpacing governance capabilities. (Middle East AI News)
Startups
DISAI selects ten DeepTech startups for 2026
#Saudi #DeepTech - Qualcomm, Aramco, RDIA and HUMAIN have announced the ten startups selected for the DISAI 2026 programme from more than 124 applications. Seven of the cohort are Saudi-founded, with participants gaining technical mentorship, IP support and access to advanced AI infrastructure to accelerate commercialisation. (Middle East AI News)
du launches $50m venture fund with Shorooq
#UAE #venturecapital - du and Shorooq have launched du Ventures, a $50 million fund to accelerate fintech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure startups. Beyond investment, participating companies will gain access to du’s infrastructure, enterprise customers and regional market reach to support commercial scaling. (Middle East AI News)
Algebra AI emerges with $7m funding
#UAE #services - Dubai-based Algebra AI has emerged from stealth with $7 million in funding to deliver managed AI operations for the GCC mid-market. The company designs, operates and continuously optimises AI-enabled workflows rather than simply deploying technology. (Middle East AI News)
Edafa acquires two Egyptian AI startups
#Egypt #M&A - Saudi-Egyptian investor Edafa Venture Capital has completed six-figure acquisitions of Egyptian construction technology firm Kuadra and health-tech platform IRRI Vision. The deals strengthen regional innovation efforts and reflect growing momentum in Egypt’s ecosystem for artificial intelligence-driven industry and healthcare solutions. (Middle East AI News)
Egypt launches startup initiative for smarter public services
#Egypt #accelerators - Egypt’s Ministry of Finance has launched an initiative to work with startups on smart public services, including the use of artificial intelligence to simplify tax procedures and reduce administrative burdens. The ministry is also strengthening cybersecurity, developing digital tax and customs systems, and preparing a mobile app for real estate tax services. (Daily News Egypt)
Retail
AI shopping grows but trust in AI payments lags
#UAE #AIcommerce - Visa’s latest Stay Secure study finds AI-assisted shopping is now mainstream across the region, with 91 per cent of consumers in Egypt, 90 per cent in Saudi Arabia and 85 per cent in the UAE using AI tools while shopping. Yet trust in agentic checkout remains low, with less than 4 out of ten consumers willing to let AI complete payments on their behalf. (Middle East AI News)
Data Centres
Zoom opens second Saudi data centre
#Saudi #communications - Zoom has launched a second Saudi data centre in Riyadh, hosted by center3, extending its $75 million investment commitment to the Kingdom. The facility expands local data residency capacity for government and enterprise customers while strengthening regional connectivity across Europe, Asia and Africa. (Middle East AI News)
LLMs
Stanford CRFM, Arabic AI launch HELM Arabic Enterprise
#UAE #LLMs - Stanford University’s Center for Research on Foundation Models and enterprise AI provider Arabic AI have launched HELM Arabic Enterprise, a transparent and reproducible leaderboard for Arabic large language models. Arabic.AI’s flagship LLM-X currently ranks highest across seven benchmarks, beating powerful global open source models. (Middle East AI News)
Bilaterals
Saudi and Russia expand innovation partnership
#Saudi #innovation - MODON and the Moscow Innovation Hub have signed a new agreement in Riyadh to establish joint incubators and accelerators focused on artificial intelligence, robotics and energy innovation. The partnership aims to strengthen entrepreneurship, industrial innovation and specialised talent development aligned with Vision 2030. (Maaal)
Saudi and Turkiye expand AI and digital cooperation
#Saudi #technology - Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have explored deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and smart mobility during talks in Riyadh between Minister Abdullah Alswaha and Turkish Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. The discussions focused on expanding investment, accelerating innovation and strengthening digital economy partnerships in line with Saudi Vision 2030. (Arab News)
Education
Iraq approves first AI health graduate institute
#Iraq #education - Northern Technical University in Nineveh has secured approval for Iraq’s first Graduate Institute for Health Technologies and Artificial Intelligence. The institute will offer postgraduate programmes and help develop AI specialists to support the country’s healthcare and academic sectors. (Shafaq News)
19-year-old founder sells NoNerds to JoAcademy
#Jordan #education - Jordanian founder Mohammad Alsufi, 19, has sold AI-native education platform NoNerds to JoAcademy in a $140,000 acquisition. With more than 120 courses, 6,000 lectures and 12,000 students, NoNerds’ AI infrastructure will now be integrated into JoAcademy’s platform, which serves over 2.1 million learners across the region. (Zawya)
Smart Cities
Dubai deploys AI to overhaul real-time bus management
#UAE #transport - Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has deployed AI-powered smart dashboards in its Bus Operations Control Centre, cutting early bus departures by more than 68 per cent and reducing CO₂ emissions by over 13,000 tonnes. Built with the RTA’s Artificial Intelligence Centre on the Dataiku platform, the system uses predictive analytics and real-time operational tools to improve network performance and disruption response. (Middle East AI News)
SFDA RASID cuts Hajj medicine checks by 98%
#Saudi #health - Saudi Arabia’s SFDA says its AI-powered RASID medication verification platform processed more than 50 languages, verified over 2,000 medications in ten days and reduced verification times by up to 98 per cent during Hajj. The Riyadh-developed system supports safer pharmaceutical services for pilgrims. (Saudi Press Agency)
Sport
Google Gemini joins Jordan football as AI sponsor
#Jordan #sponsorship - The Jordan Football Association has named Google Gemini as the official AI technical sponsor of the national team. The partnership will introduce AI-powered fan experiences, match analysis tools and digital content initiatives as Jordan prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026. (The Jordan Times)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]