Public Policy Document

The UAE’s artificial intelligence ecosystem is driven by strong government backing, strategic partnerships, prestigious academic institutions, and a flourishing industry that fosters innovation. Internationally, the UAE plays a key role in shaping AI governance and policy by actively participating in multilateral platforms. The UAE also engages in global discussions on AI policy, contributes to setting international AI standards, and is involved in creating AI governance frameworks. By doing so, the UAE strengthens its global leadership to remain at the forefront of technological advancement, recognizing AI as a powerful tool for delivering sustainable solutions to shared global challenges.

The policy is designed to build an innovation-encouraging ecosystem. This forward-looking approach addresses current technological needs while preparing the UAE to tackle future challenges and seize emerging opportunities in the fast-evolving AI sector. It is bolstered by robust government initiatives, strategic collaborations at both local and international levels, and substantial investments in research and development. The policy aligns with the UAE’s foreign strategy on emerging technologies, ensuring compliance with international standards. Through its active role in global AI governance, the UAE is committed to building a sustainable, inclusive, and technologically advanced society, where everyone can benefit from AI’s advancements.

1. Establish principles that form the foundation for the development, deployment, and governance of artificial intelligence in the UAE.
2. Outline the UAE’s policy stance on artificial intelligence on the global stage.
3. Strengthen the UAE's strategic position as a global leader in the field of artificial intelligence.
4. Enhance the UAE's status as a hub for AI innovations through international cooperation, driving economic diversification and improving the quality of life for residents of the UAE and the global community as a whole.

UAE's Foreign Policy on Artificial Intelligence:

1. Participate in international forums related to artificial intelligence, which work on guiding future international standards and guidelines for the development and use of such emerging technologies.
2. Emphasize the importance of transparency and establishing inspection systems within artificial intelligence tools, enabling governments to ensure compliance with ethical standards and establish accountability mechanisms necessary to address any potential violations.
3. Support the creation of international alliances for the governance, security, and development of artificial intelligence systems.
4. Support the imposition of international rules to hold accountable countries that develop artificial intelligence tools with the intent to harm others or destabilize security, while ensuring the safety and security of AI applications and protecting personal data and privacy.
5. Utilize AI applications in collaborative research and development projects in the field of artificial intelligence responsibly, to enhance peace and stability at both the regional and global levels.

The UAE has identified six key guiding principles that reflect its priorities and values:

1. Progress:
   • The UAE aims to accelerate the development of local AI tools that drive transformative change in providing sustainable solutions to regional and global challenges. These efforts include supporting the development of advanced AI algorithms and models, such as deep learning, machine learning, and natural language processing, which are essential for powering next-generation AI applications. The UAE plans to establish dedicated AI research centers for both fundamental and applied research, provide funding for innovative AI projects, and foster collaboration between academia, businesses, and government. Additionally, the UAE seeks to encourage AI adoption in priority sectors by integrating AI applications into healthcare, finance, transportation, and agriculture, supported by significant investments in high-performance computing clusters and AI-optimized data centers, along with funding and incubation programs for AI startups and SMEs.
2. Collaboration:
   • The UAE is committed to building bridges of communication and cooperation, bringing together diverse perspectives on pressing AI issues with countries around the world. The UAE seeks to foster joint development and ensure the positive application of AI for a sustainable, transformative future. The UAE is ready to collaborate on multiple fronts, including joint research and development projects, the exchange of expertise and best practices, and the establishment of AI standards and frameworks that promote ethical and responsible use of AI. Collaborative deployment of AI and emerging technologies will help shape the future economy, requiring open dialogues and ongoing consultations between governments, the private sector, and public and civic organizations. The UAE is dedicated to strengthening these national and international partnerships, anchored in shared values of cooperation, responsibility, and transparency, to advance AI development and tackle global challenges.
3. Society:
   • Ensuring equitable access to AI for all segments of society is fundamental to the progress of nations and people. The UAE aims to integrate AI into its society by creating an inclusive system that promotes AI research, collaboration, and commercial uses. This system supports the activation of an AI network that connects researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to ensure inclusive and equitable AI integration to address social challenges. The UAE focuses on broad AI applications, reflected in the diversity of its research community, including its research centers and scientific bodies like the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academy of Sciences, to ensure solutions are designed to meet the needs of the UAE. This approach includes incubator funds, mentorship programs, and support for startups to achieve the UAE's economic ambitions. The UAE's commitment is evident in the open-source release of the Falcon LLM program by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), contributing to the creation of a global AI collaboration and innovation platform. Nationally and internationally, the UAE launches targeted programs to address unique local, regional, and global challenges using AI, based on best international practices. These efforts are complemented by widespread campaigns to upskill citizens and residents working in AI. Through these strategic initiatives, the UAE aims to solidify its position as a global hub for AI innovation and leverage modern technology to enhance quality of life.
4. Ethics:
   • The UAE is committed to AI ethical standards, as demonstrated by adopting the "AI Principles and Ethics" framework, which outlines eight principles to preserve human values and ensure fair and safe treatment for all members of society. These principles are: fairness, ensuring AI systems operate without bias; accountability, with clear assignment of responsibility; transparency, ensuring decision-making processes are understandable; explain ability, making AI decisions interpretable for non-experts; resilience, with AI systems being reliable and flexible; safety, prioritizing the physical and digital safety of individuals and communities; human values, ensuring technology respects individual dignity and rights; sustainability, contributing to environmental sustainability; and privacy protection, ensuring AI systems safeguard personal data in line with the latest security standards. This framework is designed to ensure the fairness of AI systems and that all segments of society benefit from AI while promoting transparency and safety, and ensuring alignment with human values and privacy standards. These principles are treated as a "living document" that encourages continuous dialogue and supports addressing new ethical challenges posed by AI, reinforcing the UAE’s status as a global leader in ethical AI governance.
5. Sustainability:
   • The UAE is committed to aligning AI development efforts with sustainable development goals by promoting AI applications that address environmental challenges, such as climate change, energy efficiency, and sustainable agriculture. The UAE aims to support its position as a global leader in integrating AI with sustainable development to effectively address environmental issues. With the growing energy consumption associated with the rapid expansion of AI applications and the increasing demand for data centers, the UAE plays a responsible role by participating in platforms that contribute to the development of international standards for AI sustainability.
6. Safety:
   • The UAE is dedicated to enhancing the safety of AI use, as demonstrated by its participation in the Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group and the establishment of the UAE Cybersecurity Council, which plays a key role in securing the nation’s cyber infrastructure. As a prominent representative of the Arab region, the UAE contributes to the development of international standards to ensure the safety and efficiency of AI while addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by AI. This commitment is part of the UAE’s strategy to integrate safety and ethical considerations into AI development, supporting responsible innovation and improving quality of life.

1. Positioning the UAE as a Global AI Leader: This policy underscores the UAE’s commitment to becoming a global leader in AI, linking technological progress with societal well-being and international collaboration. 
2. Core Values of the Policy: The policy is anchored in six key principles—progress, collaboration, community, ethics, sustainability, and safety—ensuring that AI development aligns with ethical, social, and environmental considerations. 
3. Building on the UAE AI Charter: It expands on the UAE Charter for the Use and Development of AI, offering a strategic framework that aligns national AI goals with international ambitions in AI innovation. 
4. Driving Economic Diversification and Innovation: AI is positioned as a catalyst for economic diversification, fostering high-impact AI technologies that support sustainable growth across various sectors. 
5. Enhancing Quality of Life with AI: The policy focuses on ethical AI deployment to improve quality of life both in the UAE and globally, reflecting the UAE's commitment to human-centered technological progress.
6. Promoting International AI Cooperation: The UAE aims to lead global efforts in AI governance by fostering strategic partnerships and common guidelines for responsible AI use, enhancing its influence on the global stage.

The public sector, private sector companies, consumers, AI developers, and international partners.