The United Arab Emirates’ approach to artificial intelligence development requires nationwide government initiatives that create the right regulatory environment for innovation, the Director General of Digital Dubai said on Wednesday.
When asked about the single most important factor for countries aspiring to become AI leaders, “If I could pick one [key factor], it is to launch AI initiatives on the nation level,” Hamad Al Mansoori, Director-General of Digital Dubai, told a panel at the inaugural GITEX EUROPE technology exhibition in Berlin on Wednesday.
“Everything will be solved after you see this kind of initiative and the government support for it, because the government wants to go to that direction, towards an AI-enabled city or country,” Al Mansoori said during the “Building AI-First Nations” panel at Messe Berlin, where the Dubai-born tech exhibition is making its European debut after previous expansions into Africa and Asia.
The Digital Dubai chief described a fundamental shift in how humans and machines interact that is driving technological change.
“The world is witnessing a fundamental shift in the relationship between machine and human,” he said. “In the past, we needed to understand machine language and technology language in order to be able to use it. Today, technology can understand humans.”
Dubai’s recipe for AI success
The UAE has emerged as a major investor in AI technologies, with Digital Dubai overseeing more than 130 initiatives, including an AI roadmap and ethics toolkit.
Al Mansoori outlined four key elements nations need to establish for AI development: clear AI principles covering fairness, accountability and privacy; engagement with the private sector on regulations; a dedicated regulatory body; and the right environment for talent.
“We always implemented privacy in the design,” he said regarding data protection. “If you would like to share your data, make sure there’s no private data in that sharing or you get permission for private data.”
Although Dubai has emerged as one of the most sought-after destinations for tech talent, the Director General still acknowledged that attracting AI talent remains challenging.
“I think this is one of the most complicated subjects,” he said. “One is to create the right environment and lean regulation in the city and make sure that you have the right setup for AI in order to operate.”
‘Launch AI initiatives but accept failure’
Additionally, he emphasised that government leaders must be prepared to accept failure in digital transformation efforts.
“We need our leaders to launch the initiatives and also accepting failure if there’s any failure in digital transformation. Your government and parliament should support your thoughts and beliefs when it comes to AI,” he said.
The UAE regularly collaborates with countries including China, the United States, Estonia and Singapore, Al Mansoori said, sharing best practices and sometimes developing regulations that apply across the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Other panellists offered contrasting approaches to AI development. Robert Somogyi, Chief Operating Officer of the Hungarian Innovation Agency, emphasised the importance of education and cultural acceptance.
“Next to education, I think we have to believe in it,” Somogyi said. “If you believe in something, you can see it, the mentality.”
Stefan Badža, Chief AI Advisor to the Serbian Prime Minister, highlighted his country’s focus on education, noting that Serbian schools have taught coding since 2017 and AI since 2021. Serbia chairs the Global Partnership on AI this year, representing 44 countries.
“For us, it is important to allow innovations to develop, and then afterwards to take care of all the details,” Badža said, advocating for more flexible regulation than the European Union offers.
“We want to really have equal playing field for local countries regarding developing the technology.”
GITEX EUROPE runs from May 21-23 with a strong UAE presence, particularly from public sector entities.
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