From enhancing healthcare delivery for patients, to optimising transportation systems for commuters, and improving learning for students outside of classrooms, AI is playing a pivotal role in empowering governments to deliver more efficient, accessible, and citizen-centric public services.
However, such powerful capabilities bring with them challenges that require governments, technology providers, data scientists, IT experts, software developers, and policymakers to come together and create a responsible approach that ensures all AI developments are conducted with an emphasis on public safety and wellbeing, says Naim Yazbeck, General Manager at Microsoft UAE.
”At Microsoft, we firmly believe that when you deliver innovative technologies that have the power to change the world, you must also ensure that the technology is used responsibly. Our work is guided by a set of AI Principles centered around fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability, which we’ve put into practice to develop AI that will have a positive impact on society.
”We are also committed to driving responsible AI innovation by sharing our learnings, innovations, and best practices with decision-makers, researchers, and data scientists at pivotal events such as the upcoming World Government Summit to support the establishment of national AI policies and regulations that ensure AI earns the trust and meets the needs of residents across the world.”
The World Government Summit, scheduled to take place in Dubai from 12 to 14 February under the theme “Shaping Future Governments,” will gather more than 4,000 delegates representing over 120 government delegations and approximately 80 international organisations.
The summit aims to foster international cooperation and embrace rapidly advancing technologies to enhance the wellbeing of societies. Microsoft executives, including Yazbeck, will participate in high-level panel discussions at the event that explore strategies for public sector organisations to establish a balanced approach to AI that aligns with ethical and human-centric values.
“We have long supported governments around the world in embracing the latest developments in technologies like AI to transform public service,” Yazbeck says. “In the UAE, we are privileged to be a trusted technology partner to public sector entities setting new benchmarks in global AI leadership.”
Those entities include the UAE federal government, which partnered with Microsoft to develop the AI-powered chatbot U-Ask to streamline service requests, eliminate guesswork, and deliver a seamless user experience for citizens. The Department of Health in Abu Dhabi also collaborated with Microsoft to develop an AI-powered patient assistant that provides instant access to medical records and makes scheduling appointments with a doctor effortless.
And the UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority is collaborating with Microsoft and Kagool to empower the Federal Digital Network with AI services. This will not only enhance service delivery but also give government entities the flexibility to build and deploy AI solutions across various domains, from visual to linguistic, ultimately driving better decision-making.
“Our datacenters in Dubai and Abu Dhabi further empower public sector entities in the UAE and beyond with scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services to power their AI innovations, while simultaneously addressing their data residency, security, privacy, and compliance needs,” Yazbeck says.
Microsoft’s groundbreaking partnership with G42, sovereign cloud offerings will also become available to the UAE’s public sector and regulated industries, providing them with access to the latest cloud and AI features available on Azure Public Cloud. “Through this partnership, we will also expand our Azure services footprint in the UAE via Khazna Data Centers, a joint venture company between G42 and e&,” he adds.
As governments across the region continue to embrace the latest developments in AI to transform public services and improve the quality of life for residents, discussions on ethical considerations and responsible deployment must remain paramount, says Yazbeck.
“In so many ways, AI offers perhaps even more potential for the good of humanity than any invention that has preceded it. However, it is not enough to only focus on the opportunities for AI to improve people’s lives; we also need to participate in broader societal conversations about how AI should be used. And we know that we can’t do this work alone, which is why we engage with diverse stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, regulators, businesses, academia, and users to ensure that the guardrails are in place for responsible AI innovation.”
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