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Dubai taps Indian talent as it races to be global AI capital by 2031
Speaking on the city's broader digital agenda, Younus Al Nasser, chief executive of the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment at Digital Dubai, outlined the Emirate's push to become the global capital for AI development and implementation by 2031.
'India is clearly becoming a leader in technology development across several sectors, including AI applications, clean mobility, semiconductors, space and satellite technologies, e-commerce and fintech,' he told Business Standard, adding that Dubai has adopted an 'open-door policy of embracing innovation from across the globe.'
The initiative gained momentum in June 2023, when Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence. The centre's mandate includes training 1,000 government employees from more than 30 entities on generative AI, supporting over 20 technology startups, and driving government service efficiency. This was followed by the launch of the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence—a recurring annual plan designed to align AI adoption with the city's economic goals.
A key benchmark: contributing AED 100 billion annually to Dubai's economy through the digital economy and lifting productivity by 50 per cent through digital innovation. As of June 2024, 22 chief AI officers had been appointed across government bodies, and dedicated incubators such as the Dubai AI Campus at the DIFC Innovation Hub had been launched to foster Web3 and AI startups.
Indian businesses are responding to the opportunity. 'In 2024, over 73,000 new Indian companies joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce,' Al Nasser noted. He attributed this surge to proactive reforms. 'We are building the latest infrastructure and regularly updating our technology regulations to ensure any new companies wanting to expand to Dubai have their base already set up and face no regulatory hurdles or bureaucracy.'
The long-standing cultural and economic ties between India and the UAE also help smooth the path. 'Today Indians make over 40 per cent of the UAE's population, therefore you can find an essence of Indian culture in almost every vicinity of Dubai and the UAE,' Al Nasser said.
As Dubai accelerates towards its AI ambitions, Indian innovators are becoming a pivotal part of the city's digital growth story.
Dubai's push to become a fully digital city stems from a long-running commitment to technological transformation beginning in 2000 with Dubai e-Government. It built a city-wide ERP system now serving 75,000 government employees. By December 2021, Dubai achieved fully paperless government operations, with every government-to-individual transaction conducted digitally.
The city's digital strategy evolved in 2021 with the creation of Digital Dubai, shifting focus to citywide transformation across seven pillars, including the digital economy and cybersecurity.
Regarding data ethics, cybersecurity and AI regulation, Al Nasser said Dubai is pairing its aggressive AI adoption strategy with a strong emphasis on responsible governance, aiming to set a global standard for ethical and secure technology deployment.
'Striking the right balance between AI innovation and safeguarding public trust is central to our strategy,' Al Nasser said. A cornerstone of that strategy is the use of innovation sandboxes—controlled environments where new AI technologies can be tested under regulatory supervision. Through these sandboxes, one can adapt policies based on real-world testing. This is giving innovators clarity on the regulatory landscape while ensuring that public interests are protected.
Dubai's ethical framework also includes the 2019 Ethical AI Guidelines and AI Toolkit, alongside the AI Policy for Government Entities. The policy mandates transparency, explainability, human oversight and inclusive design, and requires internal AI ethics review committees.
As cities around the world compete to become smarter and more sustainable, Dubai is advancing a data-driven and human-centric model of urban living. This is powered by emerging technologies and global partnerships.
Dubai's data infrastructure began with the 2016 Dubai Data Law and Open Data Committee, leading to UAE PASS—the national digital identity platform launched in 2018. Now used by over nine million individuals across 15,000 service providers, it has processed more than 600 million transactions.
Today, over 1,200 anonymised data sets from 24 sectors are publicly available, supporting innovation and service delivery. The Dubai Dashboard, built on real-time and predictive analytics, tracks and forecasts across 14 economic indicators—from tourism to traffic.
'Dubai's vision is not solely about technology adoption, but human-centric technology implementation,' Al Nasser added, emphasising the city's openness to international collaboration in building a sustainable, inclusive digital future.
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