From drones to digital agents, UAE unveils next-gen AI at Gitex Global 2025

Dubai: Gitex 2025 opened in Dubai with government departments unveiling some of the most ambitious artificial intelligence projects in the region. From drones that reach an emergency within a minute to AI agents resolving customer issues in seconds, the first day of the technology showcase reflected how the UAE is turning digital transformation into an everyday reality.

Across the exhibition floor, the country’s leading public bodies, including the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and Dubai Police, demonstrated how AI, automation and data analytics are now embedded in public services, improving safety, efficiency and citizen experience.

DEWA’s AI agents transform customer experience

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is using artificial intelligence to reinvent how customers interact with its services. The utility unveiled a suite of new features embedded into the DEWA app that allows customers to pay bills, report issues and even listen to press updates, all through AI-driven virtual agents.

“Before, the customer needed to go to the Customer Center in order to pay their bill or solve any problems,” said Khalid Bin Kalban, Manager of Artificial Intelligence at DEWA. “Now the customer can just talk to the agent in the application and explain exactly the problem. The agent itself will give the solutions and how to solve this problem.”

What once took days now happens almost instantly. “It’s increased satisfaction of the customer, before, the time of completion of the project took days, but now in a second, the customer can solve the problem,” he said.

Beyond public services, DEWA is also deploying AI internally to support employees. “Using the copilot agents, which is created in DEWA, we have more than 300 agents which can enhance and increase the productivity of employees in their daily jobs,” Bin Kalban added.

The approach reflects Dubai’s broader smart-governance agenda. DEWA was one of the first utilities globally to integrate generative AI into both customer and operational systems. The new developments reinforce its goal of becoming the world’s first AI-driven digital utility, part of Dubai’s Digital Strategy 2030.

Dubai Police expands the boundaries of biometrics

If DEWA’s work shows how AI can simplify daily life, Dubai Police’s innovation highlighted how it can strengthen public security. At the force’s stand, officials introduced Dubiometrics, a home-grown biometric identification system developed entirely by the police’s forensic science division.

The technology goes beyond traditional facial recognition or fingerprints, integrating additional physical markers such as gait, ear shape, body measurements and hand geometry. “Biometrics takes into consideration multiple biometrics, which include facial recognition. But here we’ve gone a step further,” explained Dr. Hamad Mansoor Al Awar, Acting Director of the International Center for Forensic Sciences at Dubai Police.

He added that field investigations had shown the need for deeper biometric indicators to identify suspects even in challenging environments. “We discovered that we need to find multiple biometrics and not just rely on fingerprints and face, this system can identify someone who is in the database, even if they are wearing a mask, even if it is too dark to see their face,” Al Awar said.

The technology builds on Dubai’s extensive surveillance and analytics infrastructure, where AI systems already support predictive policing and smart patrol routes. With DubaiMetrics, police can now extend identification capabilities into situations where visual data alone is insufficient, such as at night or in low-light environments, giving investigators a more complete picture.

Drone boxes: one-minute response time

Complementing these AI systems is another innovation from Dubai Police — drone boxes.

“What you’re seeing here is a strategic initiative by Dubai Police,” said Engineer Mohammed Omar Al Muhairi, Head of the Unmanned Aerial System Center. “It’s a Dubai Police drone as a first responder program, which allows us to put these platforms across the city, and this allows us to respond to any incidents within a minute.”

Fifteen drone boxes have already been deployed across Dubai, with plans to expand coverage to more high-traffic zones. Each box houses an autonomous drone capable of rapid take-off, enabling command centres to assess incidents and dispatch the right resources even before patrols arrive.

The system is part of a larger smart-response strategy. According to Dubai Police, drone integration has already reduced response times for certain emergencies by over 30%.