UAE sends 50+ government AI leaders to US as it accelerates agentic AI push

Dubai: A UAE government delegation of more than 50 Chief AI Officers and government leaders will visit the United States to study the latest applications of agentic artificial intelligence and how to deploy the technology across government services.

The five-day visit, organised by the UAE Government’s Artificial Intelligence Office in collaboration with the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, will include meetings with major technology companies and academic institutions.

The delegation will meet representatives from Dell Technologies, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Cognition, Google, Poolside, Snowflake, Databricks, AMD and Microsoft, as well as Stanford University and the Institute of Foundation Models at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

The discussions will focus on emerging agentic AI applications, deployment at scale and potential partnerships that could support the technology’s adoption across UAE government entities.

50% target within two years

The visit comes as the UAE works towards a target of transforming 50 per cent of government sectors, operations and services into agentic AI-powered operating models within two years.

Unlike conventional generative AI systems that primarily respond to individual prompts, agentic AI systems are designed to carry out more complex, multi-step tasks with greater autonomy. They can potentially plan actions, use digital tools and complete workflows towards a defined objective, with varying levels of human oversight.

For governments, potential applications could range from automating administrative processes to delivering digital services and managing complex workflows. The UAE delegation will also examine the challenges involved in deploying such systems safely and responsibly.

From AI experiments to deployment

Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said the programme is intended to help government Chief AI Officers turn artificial intelligence developments into practical applications.

“Our focus is on empowering Chief AI Officers to lead the development and adoption of artificial intelligence across government by expanding their knowledge partnerships, deepening their exposure to advanced global models, and translating knowledge into practical pathways aligned with the priorities of their respective entities,” Al Olama said.

He added that the programme would strengthen officials’ understanding of agentic AI and the requirements for its safe and responsible use, supporting a shift from exploring potential applications to deploying them across government services and operations.

The trip will be the Chief AI Officers’ second international mission and will focus on technologies and practices being developed by major AI companies and research institutions.

Ahead of the US visit, the UAE Government’s Artificial Intelligence Office and the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence held a preparatory session for participating officials, covering the programme, destinations, and priority areas.

The delegation will use the US meetings to explore potential collaborations and identify technologies and practices that UAE government entities could adopt.