Dubai announces new AI literacy programme for schools at World Governments Summit

Dubai: Dubai on Wednesday announced a major AI literacy programme for private schools that will benefit around 80,500 students across the emirate, in a landmark partnership unveiled at the World Governments Summit 2026.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), DP World Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) launched the multi-year collaboration, which runs until February 2030.

The programme will build foundational, responsible AI understanding for students in Grades 6–8 (Years 7-9) and equip teachers with practical professional development, tools and assessments to deliver AI learning across core subjects. The initiative is expected to be supported by roughly 3,600 teachers through a phased approach.

The announcement was made during the World Governments Summit 2026, which convenes the largest leadership participation in its history under the theme 'Shaping Future Governments' and concludes on 5 February.

Programme details

In the first phase, the institutions will co-design with educators from select schools to ensure their experience shapes the approach, then launch classroom pilots and teacher training, ahead of a broader rollout across Dubai's private schools.

The AI literacy programme will introduce short, practical modules across six subjects: Maths, Science, Computing, Art, English and Arabic. Students will learn how AI works, how to evaluate AI outputs and how to use AI tools responsibly in day-to-day classroom work, strengthening understanding, supporting instruction and directly supporting their learning.

Teachers will be supported with classroom-ready resources, professional development and implementation guidance, alongside a curated portal of learning-appropriate AI tools designed for supervised use. The tools environment is intended for use under teacher supervision, with an emphasis on age-appropriate access and responsible practice.

Two-pronged approach

The programme includes two components: AI Literacy for Dubai Private Schools (Grades 6–8 / Years 7-9), a cross-subject, short-format programme including curriculum, teacher professional development and assessments.

The second component is AI Enrichment for High School Students (FutureBuilders-style), a hybrid programme during school breaks adapted from MIT's Future Makers/Builders model. It runs for four weeks online and one week in person, featuring mentorship, team capstones and entrepreneurial pitch-style presentations. It will serve 40–100 students per session and will include completion certificates and formative evaluation of student learning and programme quality.

Providing practical skills

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said: “AI will shape every industry, and every job. Dubai's long-term competitiveness depends on talent, and that starts in the classroom. Supporting this programme is about giving young people in Dubai the practical skills to understand AI, question it and use it responsibly, while giving teachers the tools and training to bring that learning into everyday lessons at scale."

Aisha Miran, Director General of KHDA, said: “The collaboration with DP World and MIT RAISE reflects Dubai's Education 33 vision and the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which place future-ready skills, talent development and innovation at the heart of our growth. By embedding AI literacy across everyday learning, we are preparing students not just to use emerging technologies, but to think critically, act responsibly and contribute confidently to a fast-evolving economy. At the same time, we are supporting teachers with the tools, training and confidence they need to lead learning in an AI-enabled world.”

Professor Cynthia Breazeal, Director, MIT RAISE, said: "MIT RAISE's mission is to expand access to AI literacy for all learners. This programme builds on what we've learned around the world and adapts it to Dubai's context; supporting responsible practice, building local capacity and giving students the confidence to engage with AI in meaningful ways."