UAE to Train Over 1 Million Residents in AI by 2027: Minister Announces Ambitious Plan

This is perhaps the world’s first major drive to make residents AI-ready as the UAE plans to impart AI knowledge to over one million people in the next three years. The strategic plan to build a more robust AI industry was announced, and Omar Sultan Al Olama, the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, spoke about phased plans to accomplish this task.

This includes the establishment of a dedicated AI campus; with AI workshops which are tailored for companies, professionals, and other interested parties. These AI-centric workshops, which began at the DIFC on Tuesday, are poised to grow considerably over the years. “Ladies and gentlemen, what you are going to witness right now is phase one,” Al Olama said during the talk of the retreat conducted at the Museum of the Future.

The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has also unveiled plans to train one million people in how to harness and use AI technologies within the next three years of its launch. This endeavor is an example of Dubai’s wider strategy for advancing the city’s role as a leading global innovation hub.

In order to support the AI campus, 22 Chief AI Officers were hired in different Dubai Government Departments. They assumed duty this Tuesday and will be responsible for the implementation of artificial intelligence in their departments, which touches on facets like community development, human resource, customs, policing, and civil aviation among others.

“These officers had to engage in an exercise of assessing AI deployment potential and weaknesses familiarization,” Al Olama said. “We want to make sure that having the vision, every adviser in every government department is well equipped to make that vision a reality,”

The use of AI has been regarded as something that has to be done in the UAE rather than a luxury to embrace. This is evident in the healthcare industry, where AI is able to boost emergency management in addition to other aspects such as patient treatment.

“Today, our governments must ensure that their services, capabilities and workforce are the best,” the young man underlined. “There is no better place that I know that does not wait for change to happen but rather leads change in Dubai. ”

Photo: Nandini Sircar / KT