For more than a decade, the UAE has been setting itself ambitious targets when it comes to artificial intelligence, embracing the technology at the highest levels of government, commerce and education. However, a key test of AI’s impact is not just the sophistication of the technology but by how many people are able to use it.
For many ordinary people, AI is still something of an unknown quantity – and one that is being promoted by powerful and remote tech company owners. Despite excitement about potential AI-led breakthroughs in medicine and scientific discoveries, high-profile stories about jobs being lost to AI or autonomous digital agents hacking rival companies have raised questions about its uses. With that in mind, the launch in Abu Dhabi this week of AiNative, a new training programme, could be the first step in redefining citizens’ and residents’ relationship with AI.
Developed by the emirate’s Department of Government Enablement in collaboration with OpenAI, Microsoft and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, AiNative aims to give 20,000 government employees access to training by the end of this year. Plans to eventually make the programme freely available to citizens and residents could prove to be even more consequential.
Technology can widen inequalities as easily as it can reduce them. Those who understand new tools quickly can gain an advantage. Those who lack access to AI or confidence in using it, risk being left behind. This has been an issue with other game-changing technologies – many older people can still struggle with personal banking or medical appointments as more services migrate to online platforms.
That is what makes the public element of AiNative particularly significant. The programme is intended to show people how AI adoption can help with practical matters, from finding a job, managing personal finances, running a small business or creating content responsibly. This recognises that the arrival of increasingly capable systems will affect just about everyone, whether or not they work in technology.
The UAE has invested heavily in the AI era, and Abu Dhabi has emerged as a major centre for computing, tech investment and research. Partnerships such as those between Abu Dhabi’s G42 and France's Mistral AI announced last year are helping to build the foundations for the next iteration of AI – but human capability is just as important as infrastructure.
Giving as many people as possible the opportunity to understand AI means giving them a better chance of recognising its strengths and weakness, and using it responsibly. The aim should not be to make everyone in society a computer scientist but to give them the chance to participate in the digital era confidently. Knowledge often dispels doubt and creates opportunities – by building an AI-enabled society, the potential for success becomes even greater.
