Lost passport in Dubai or facing medical emergency? Emirati student creates winning AI solution
Abdulrahman Al Marzooqi, a master's student at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi, clinched first place in the coding category at the Global Prompt Engineering Championship 2025 during the inaugural Dubai AI Week.
His prizewinning creation is an intuitive AI emergency response assistant app that offers calm, real-time support for a range of crises – from lost travel documents to urgent medical help. The competition, featuring a Dh1 million prize pool split across arts, video, gaming, and coding, attracted more than 3,800 participants from more than 125 countries.
Al Marzooqi did the UAE proud by securing top honours in the coding category and dedicated his award to the country's rulers.
'Their great interest and support to the AI field has paid off, and this is just the start,' he told Gulf News after being presented the award by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.
Cracking the code
Finalists in the competition were challenged to develop an AI-powered emergency response app tailored for Dubai's fast-paced environment.
'In a fast-paced, international city like Dubai, having real-time guidance and access to the right help can be life-saving. The AI assistant was designed to provide immediate, accurate support, helping users stay safe and informed when it matters most,' said the student from MBZUAI – the world's first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence university.
Before the competition, he studied past edition closely, taught himself how to build websites, and refined his skills through countless experiments in prompt engineering.
Al Marzooqi credits MBZUAI's world-class faculty, cutting-edge research opportunities, and hands-on projects for sharpening his AI skills.
'MBZUAI has had a profound impact on my journey in AI. I was able to significantly build my prompt engineering skills. In fact, I applied for this championship through an announcement from the Career Services team at MBZUAI.'
What's next?
As for the future, Al Marzooqi plans to build a career in AI, applying his talents across industries like healthcare and education. Will he turn his emergency app into a startup? Maybe, but not just yet.
'This is of course an option, but at least not right now. It is also possible to develop new apps or start an AI company. However, I still did not decide.'
One thing is certain: his journey is just beginning.
'I am excited by the UAE's bold vision to become a global leader in AI. I believe my skills can support the UAE's mission to harness AI for economic growth and social progress. I am also committed to ongoing learning, which I see as essential in such a fast-evolving field,' Al Marzooqi added.
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