Coursera said that the UAE's 'strong performance' and 'sharp rise' in AI course enrolments highlight its strategic push toward building a knowledge-based economy. Photo: Cody Combs
Coursera said that the UAE's 'strong performance' and 'sharp rise' in AI course enrolments highlight its strategic push toward building a knowledge-based economy. Photo: Cody Combs
Coursera said that the UAE's 'strong performance' and 'sharp rise' in AI course enrolments highlight its strategic push toward building a knowledge-based economy. Photo: Cody Combs
Coursera said that the UAE's 'strong performance' and 'sharp rise' in AI course enrolments highlight its strategic push toward building a knowledge-based economy. Photo: Cody Combs

UAE ranks first for AI maturity in Arab world, report says


Cody Combs
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE ranks first in the Arab world in a new AI Maturity Index that examines country readiness for artificial intelligence, according to a new report from online learning platform Coursera.

The 2025 Global Skills Report said the country's recent announcement of a UAE-US 5GW AI Campus - unveiled during US President Donald Trump’s visit in May, along with the decision by UAE schools to begin teaching mandatory AI classes from age four - helped propel it to to the top in various areas of the report.

“The UAE is rapidly scaling AI learning and infrastructure to drive workforce transformation and regional innovation,” said Kais Zribi, Coursera’s manager for Middle East and North Africa.

President Sheikh Mohamed with US President Donald Trump. The announcement of plans for a UAE-US AI Campus helped bolster the UAE's AI influence in a new report. Photo: G42
President Sheikh Mohamed with US President Donald Trump. The announcement of plans for a UAE-US AI Campus helped bolster the UAE's AI influence in a new report. Photo: G42

“Its strong performance on Coursera’s AI Maturity Index, combined with high rankings in overall skills proficiency, demonstrates the country’s growing ability to close skill gaps, nurture future talent, and lead in AI readiness.”

For AI maturity globally, the UAE ranked 32nd out of 109 countries, according to Coursera. Saudi Arabia ranked 37th place and Qatar placed 45th.

Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, the US and Finland ranked in the top five.

In terms of overall AI skills proficiency, the UAE also ranked top in the Arab world.

Coursera’s report also said that with a 344 per cent increase in AI course enrolment compared to last year, the UAE outpaced the Middle East and North Africa regional average, as well as the global average AI courses selected on the company’s learning platform.

With hopes of diversifying its economy largely based on oil, in recent years the UAE ha sought to be a leader in artificial intelligence. Chris Whiteoak / The National
With hopes of diversifying its economy largely based on oil, in recent years the UAE ha sought to be a leader in artificial intelligence. Chris Whiteoak / The National

“As digital transformation reshapes industries, the UAE is setting a powerful example of how nations can leverage education to build a competitive, inclusive digital economy that prepares its workforce for the future,” said Mr Zribi.

Towards the end of last year, a similar report from Coursera projected that UAE interest in AI courses was on the path to grow significantly.

Coursera's data for its 2025 Global Skills Report is based in part on the company's stats from its learning platform, along with “third-party metrics to ensure a more comprehensive assessment, complementing the insights provided by Coursera data”.

For the AI Maturity Index, data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is used as well.

Over the past decade, the UAE − the Arab world’s second largest economy − has been open about its desire to be an AI front-runner as it diversifies its economy away from oil.

The country’s efforts have resulted in the establishment of start-ups as well as partnerships and investments from industry leaders like Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI.

Through the creation of language models such as Falcon Arabic, the UAE has also sought to ensure aspects of Arabic culture are not left behind by the AI surge, with many large language models based on English-language data.

In 2019, the UAE announced the establishment of a university dedicated to AI, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Several years before, the UAE was among the first in the world to appoint an AI Minister, Omar Al Olama.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained

Defined Benefit Plan (DB)

A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.

Defined Contribution Plan (DC) 

A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.

MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
%3Cp%3EYears%3A%20October%202015%20-%20June%202024%3Cbr%3ETotal%20games%3A%20491%3Cbr%3EWin%20percentage%3A%2060.9%25%3Cbr%3EMajor%20trophies%3A%206%20(Premier%20League%20x%201%2C%20Champions%20League%20x%201%2C%20FA%20Cup%20x%201%2C%20League%20Cup%20x%202%2C%20Fifa%20Club%20World%20Cup%20x1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)

Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)

Wednesday

Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)

Norwich City v Everton (9pm)

Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)

Thursday

Burnley v Watford (9pm)

Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)

Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)

ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES

Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)

Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)

Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Score

New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs 

New Zealand win by 47 runs

New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0

Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday

List of UAE medal winners

Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)

Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)

Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

Updated: June 11, 2025, 4:42 AM