Dubai's tech experts, not technocrats will decide AI's future, says minister

Omar Al Olama tells Dubai AI and Web3 Festival the government's job is to enable tech leaders to use the UAE as a springboard to create global companies

Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, wants the UAE to be a 'springboard' for AI innovation. Photo: Cody Combs

The future of artificial intelligence will be decided by Dubai's tech unicorns and technology experts – not bureaucrats, Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said on Wednesday.

In his keynote speech at the opening of the Dubai AI and Web3 Festival, the minister said: “The future of AI will not be determined by technocrats and bureaucrats like myself.

“It will be decided by the people in this room, the [tech] unicorns who decided to call Dubai home, by technology experts who appreciate the speed of our government and the openness this country has.”

He told the entrepreneurs, founders and established technology leaders attending the two-day festival: “Our job is to enable you, our job is to ensure you're able to use Dubai and the UAE as a springboard to make global companies that will make global impact and change the future.”

Progress of robots on show at Dubai AI conference

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Mr Al Olama said that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, was not trying to “out-compete” companies or researchers on AI, but is instead focused on how AI can be applied to everyday life.

“We want to be the fastest country and fastest city to deploy AI for a good quality of life and to deploy AI to make more effective decision-making,” he told the event at Madinat Jumeirah.

Mr Al Olama, appointed as UAE's first AI minister in 2017, also spoke about the need to work with other countries around the world to ensure that AI develops in a safe manner that alleviates some of the fears, for example around labour disruption and potential misuse of the burgeoning technology.

“Your children and grandchildren will either thank us or blame us for the decisions we make in this day and age in what this technology is allowed to do and what this technology is used for,” he said.

Tech companies and government organisations are exhibiting at Dubai's AI and Web3 Festival, at Madinat Jumeirah, Photo: Cody Combs

Collective action and collaboration, he said, have been and will continue to be areas of focus as the UAE seeks to be a leader in both artificial intelligence innovation and regulation.

He referred to the US announcement of voluntary requirements for companies on artificial intelligence and its ambitions to have chief AI officers in every government agency.

“The direct action and reaction that the UAE and Dubai took specifically is that chief AI officers were identified, assessed and appointed in less than one month,” he said, saying such actions show how the UAE adapts and reacts quickly to ideas.

While AI might seem to be on the tip of every tongue in 2024, the UAE has long sought to be a significant player in the sector, both in terms of technology start-ups and government policy.

In 2019, the country announced Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first dedicated artificial intelligence university.

Earlier this year, Sam Altman, founder and chief executive of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, told the World Government Summit that the UAE would be well positioned to be a leader in discussions about a hypothetical global AI watchdog system.

The country also recently became the first in the Arab world to join 49 other nations in the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group, which is dedicated to AI safety and security.

It has also sought to ensure aspects of Arabic culture are not left behind by the initial AI surge in which most large language models were based on English-language data. Jais 70B, an LLM, delivers Arabic-English capabilities at an unprecedented size and scale.

Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence and cloud company G42 also recently helped to culturally broaden the AI landscape with the launch of a Hindi large language model.

Attendees at the AI & Web3 Festival include representatives from Microsoft, Meta, Google and Builder.ai and other companies. Government organisations such as Dubai Police, Dubai Digital Authority and the Ministry of Innovation are also taking part.

While artificial intelligence is a major theme at the event, blockchain, decentralisation and technology openness – often collectively falling under the banner of Web3 – are also on the agenda and feature throughout the exhibition booths.

Mr Al Olama also mentioned Tuesday's US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump during his speech.

“I typically am not nervous of speaking in front of crowds but, to be honest, I understand the monumental task of trying to compete for your attention following the presidential debate that took place a few hours ago,” he said, prompting laughter from the audience.

“Who knows what that means for each and every individual, each company and countries around the world.”