Today's Edition
Mays Ibrahim (ABU DHABI)
AI literacy, backed by binding federal law and emirate-level oversight, has positioned the UAE among the Gulf’s most advanced AI governance environments, according to a new industry playbook by online learning platform Coursera.
Unlike approaches in Europe and North America, where AI regulation and workforce development often evolve separately, the report says the UAE treats AI capability as a measurable national objective directly linked to economic diversification and digital transformation.
“In the UAE, successful AI adoption is fundamentally dependent on having a workforce equipped with the skills to use these technologies responsibly,” said Kais Zribi, Coursera’s General Manager for the Middle East and Africa.
“With foundational AI proficiency becoming a critical driver for both regulatory readiness and organisational resilience, businesses that proactively prioritise upskilling will be better positioned to navigate evolving regulations, accelerate innovation and unlock AI’s full value.”
The report benchmarks the regulatory maturity of five Gulf states and places the UAE alongside Saudi Arabia in the top “advanced” tier, ahead of Qatar and Bahrain, with Kuwait still in the early stages.
The UAE’s advanced positioning is linked to initiatives such as the National AI Strategy 2031, which the report describes as “one of the most comprehensive and action-oriented national AI frameworks globally”.
Launched in 2017, the strategy is woven across strategic sectors from healthcare and education to energy, transport and government services.
What distinguishes the UAE approach, the report argues, is that the ambition is backed by institutional architecture.
“The UAE has invested in building not just regulatory capacity but AI deployment infrastructure across every major sector, treating AI as foundational infrastructure rather than experimental technology.”
That architecture was reinforced in 2024 with the UAE Charter for Development and Use of AI, a 12-principle framework covering privacy, transparency, accountability, safety, bias mitigation and – pointedly – “awareness and education about artificial intelligence”.
“This elevates AI education from organisational preference to national policy objective,” the report said.
AI Literacy by Mandate
AI literacy is increasingly becoming an operational requirement in the GCC region. The report noted that organisations are increasingly expected to integrate regulatory obligations into AI systems, governance processes and employee learning programmes from the outset.
“This includes role-based training tailored to specific privacy obligations, cybersecurity standards and model governance expectations.”
In the UAE, AI was introduced as a mandatory subject across public schools from kindergarten through Grade 12 in the 2025–26 academic year.
The move included teacher training and ready-made materials with an emphasis on the ethical and social dimensions of the technology, not just the technical ones.
The UAE AI Office is also running nationwide initiatives aimed at students, educators, government employees and small and medium enterprises, including the Dubai Future Academy courses, the “One Million Prompters” campaign, and the umbrella “AI for All” programme.
The private sector is being pulled along the same trajectory. Through Microsoft Elevate UAE, more than 250,000 students, staff and faculty are slated for hands-on AI training, alongside over 55,000 government employees, including 10,000 teachers and 150,000 students across GEMS private schools.
The report noted that businesses failing to invest in AI literacy could create compliance risks and weaken their alignment with government priorities across the Gulf.
“In a region where governments play a central role as both regulators and leading adopters of AI, this can affect compliance readiness, procurement opportunities and long-term market viability.”
To help organisations prepare, the report outlines nine recommendations, including embedding AI literacy into governance frameworks, regularly assessing AI capability gaps and aligning workforce development with Emiratisation goals.
It argues that linking AI upskilling to national talent priorities can strengthen local expertise while supporting sustainable business growth as AI technologies and regulations continue to evolve.
