Video: Sheikh Hamdan visits Google Dubai to advance AI, D33 goals

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence of the UAE, visited Google’s offices at the Dubai Innovation Hub to explore the tech giant’s latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

In a social media post, Sheikh Hamdan emphasized Dubai’s pride in its enduring partnerships with global technology leaders like Google, which have chosen the emirate as a regional base. He said such collaborations are key to achieving the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and positioning the city as a global capital of the digital economy.

“These efforts reflect the UAE’s role as an active partner in driving global transformations across the digital and technology sectors,” he noted.

Sheikh Hamdan was welcomed by Ruth Porat, President and CIO of Alphabet and Google, along with Anthony Nakache, Google’s Managing Director for MENA, and senior executives. The visit highlighted the UAE's long-standing collaboration with Google, dating back to 2008 when it opened its largest MENA office in Dubai.

During the visit, Sheikh Hamdan was briefed on AI-powered tools like the Gemini personal assistant and NotebookLM. He also previewed the Google Economic Impact Report 2024, the first report of its kind for the UAE, showcasing the economic contributions of Google services such as Search, YouTube, Maps, Cloud, and Ads.

The Crown Prince also toured the Google Accessibility Discovery Center, which opened in September 2024. It is the first such centre in the MENA region, aimed at promoting inclusive tech development, and one of only seven worldwide.

Google reiterated its commitment to digital capacity building, noting that its ‘Grow with Google’ initiative has trained over 420,000 individuals in AI technologies and their applications for business growth.

At the end of the visit, Sheikh Hamdan lauded Google’s role in supporting the UAE’s tech ambitions and reiterated Dubai’s commitment to becoming a global innovation hub. He stressed that such partnerships are vital to the success of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which targets AED100 billion in annual value from digital transformation.

Sheikh Hamdan was accompanied by Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, and Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

The visit underscored the UAE’s focus on AI as a strategic pillar of economic growth. Dubai continues to co-create future technologies through global partnerships, accelerating its journey toward digital leadership.