LAMEES OBEIDAT (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has achieved a remarkable milestone, ranking third globally in attracting AI talent, with a 1.48 net AI talent migration per 10,000 LinkedIn members.
This accomplishment places the UAE behind only Luxembourg (3.67) and Switzerland, as highlighted in the seventh edition of the AI Index report, recently published by Stanford University, California.
The AI Index report, known for tracking, collating, distilling, and visualising data related to artificial intelligence (AI), is globally recognised as one of the most credible sources for AI insights.
Investments and Academia
According to the report, the UAE ranks 13th globally and first in the Arab World for private investment in AI by geographic area in 2023, with a total investment of $0.41 billion.
The UAE also shines in academia, ranking 13th globally, and first in the Arab World for the number of AI university study programmes in English. The country saw a 36 percent increase from 28 programmes in 2022 to 38 in 2023, closely followed by Sweden (37) and China (32).
In AI university study programmes per 100,000 inhabitants, the UAE ranks sixth in the world and first in the Arab world, with 0.40 programmes in 2023, a 34.63 percent increase from 0.30 in 2022, trailed by Sweden (0.35, +14.86%) and Finland (0.34, +11.45 percent).
The UAE ranks ninth in the world and first in the Arab world for notable machine learning models in 2023, with three models created by researchers in the country.
For foundation models, the UAE ranks fourth globally and first in the Arab world, with four models, trailing behind the United States (109), China (20), and the United Kingdom (8).
AI Hiring
The UAE’s AI hiring prowess is also notable, ranking sixth globally and first in the Arab world with a 13.40 percent relative AI hiring rate year-on-year (y-oy).
The AI skill penetration rate, which measures the prevalence of AI skills across occupations, places the UAE 15th globally with a relative AI skill penetration rate of 0.98 y-o-y.
Regarding gender-specific AI skill penetration, a country's rate of 1.5 for women means female members are 1.5 times more likely to list AI skills than the average member.
Globally, men have a higher AI skill penetration rate. However, India (1.7) and the United States (1.2) lead in AI skill penetration rates for women, with the UAE ranking 13th globally and first in the Arab world recording a rate of 0.43, followed by Switzerland (0.39) and Australia (0.37).
In October 2017, The UAE launched the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence which aims to position the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence by 2031.
The strategy focuses on integrating AI across various sectors, including transportation, health, and education, to boost efficiency and drive economic growth.
By fostering innovation, research, and development, the UAE seeks to harness AI’s potential to enhance the quality of life for its citizens and establish itself as a hub for AI talent and technology.