Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Five years may be a brief chapter in the life of a university. For the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), it has been enough to build global rankings, train sovereign AI models, and place Abu Dhabi on the world’s AI map.
On Monday, the university celebrated five years since welcoming its first cohort of students in 2020 — under the theme “Pioneering Tomorrow: AI, Science, Humanity.”
In just half a decade, the MBZUAI has grown from a bold idea into a magnet for global AI talent, drawing students and researchers from more than 60 countries to Abu Dhabi.
In his address, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees, said the university was conceived as a “national champion”, positioning the UAE as a global leader in shaping the future of AI.
Today, the MBZUAI ranks among the top institutions worldwide in its core disciplines, attracts scholars and students from more than 60 countries, and is building sovereign foundation models that operate at the frontier of global AI research.
“But beyond these milestones and metrics, what really stands out most is the intention behind this university,” Al Mubarak added. “The spirit defined by depth, openness, and a commitment not just to capability, but to contribution.”
MBZUAI President Eric Xing reflected on the university’s rapid growth since its founding, noting that it was created to play a decisive role in achieving national ambitions while shaping the future of humanity.
Five years on, he noted that the MBZUAI now offers eight degree-conferring academic programmes, supported by a faculty of 128 professors — more than 50 recruited from top global institutions — and a student body of over 650 representing nearly 60 nationalities.
The university now ranks sixth globally in computer science and 10th across core AI disciplines.
More than 315 alumni are working across leading technology firms, academic institutions, and government entities worldwide, while over 290 senior UAE leaders have completed MBZUAI’s executive AI programmes, according to Xing.
Research breakthroughs span fields from healthcare and biology to systems engineering and causality theory, with work published in leading journals such as “Nature” and adopted by industry.
The MBZUAI has also positioned itself as a global advocate of open AI research, developing sovereign foundation models from scratch.
“These are difficult problems,” Xing said, referencing the university’s work on reasoning models, world models, and agentic robotics.
“They require discipline and patience, but they are also essential if AI is to move from book intelligence to physical and higher intelligence.”
Looking ahead, Al Mubarak said the next five years will be defined by three priorities: scale, impact, and responsibility.
Scaling talent and research capacity will be matched by a sharper focus on translating knowledge into outcomes that improve lives, while ensuring that AI development remains aligned with human values.
“As AI becomes integrated with activity, governance, healthcare, science, and education. The MBZUAI will help determine whether that transformation is inclusive, ethical, and beneficial to humanity as a whole,” he said.
Rawdha AlMeraikhi, Assistant Vice President for National Engagement and Outreach at the MBZUAI, explained how the university is closely aligned with the UAE’s National AI Strategy and its ambition to make Abu Dhabi a global AI hub.
“It is not just a university; it’s a national asset,” she told Aletihad.
AlMeraikhi pointed to the role of MBZUAI graduates in feeding both the local and global AI workforce, as well as the university's support for startups through the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre, designed to translate research into real-world applications.
She also highlighted the university’s focus on building AI readiness beyond the campus, including executive education programmes aimed at equipping senior leaders with the skills and confidence to adopt AI across government and industry.
