Abu Dhabi to use AI to detect hazardous material risks earlier

Abu Dhabi is set to use agentic artificial intelligence to help detect risks involving hazardous materials earlier and support authorities in responding more quickly to potential threats. 

The Abu Dhabi Hazardous Materials Management Centre (ADHMMC) has signed an agreement with Presight to explore the use of AI across the emirate’s hazardous materials monitoring and management system.

Under the partnership, AI will be used to continuously analyse information from different sources, identify unusual patterns and risk indicators, assess their level of priority and recommend possible actions to specialist teams.

The aim is to reduce the time between detecting a potential risk, analysing it and taking appropriate action.

From entry to safe disposal

The technology could be used across the full lifecycle of hazardous materials in Abu Dhabi, including their entry into the emirate, transportation, storage, trading and use, through to treatment, recycling or safe disposal.

ADHMMC and Presight will first identify priority areas where the technology could be used before developing prototypes and testing them in controlled environments.

The results will be measured based on factors including how quickly risks are detected, the accuracy of alerts, response times, decision-making and operational efficiency.

Matar Muaded Almheiri, Acting Director General of ADHMMC, said the technology could help authorities monitor changing conditions and respond to risks earlier.

“It will also expand the use of data and analytics through agentic AI to monitor evolving conditions, anticipate risks and accelerate decision-making,” he said.

Connecting data and systems

The project will also look at connecting existing systems, databases and intelligent applications to give teams a clearer picture when dealing with hazardous materials.

Abdulla Juma Aldhaheri, Digital Transformation Lead at ADHMMC, said testing would take into account compatibility with existing systems as well as cybersecurity and data requirements.

AI governance, cybersecurity, data privacy, data sovereignty and human oversight will be considered before any solutions are introduced into operations.

Dr Adel Alsharji, Chief Operating Officer of Presight, said the company would bring its experience in AI, public safety and smart city management to the project.

The agreement supports the Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027, which aims to expand the use of AI and data across government operations and improve how services and decisions are delivered.