Meet Emirati twins using AI to make UAE roads safer, prevent accidents

Abu Dhabi: When Abdulla and Abdulrahman Almarzooqi enter a room, heads turn and it’s hard not to do a double take. The identical Emirati twins don’t just share matching features, they share a mission: to make the UAE’s roads safer using the power of artificial intelligence.

The duo recently graduated from the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), each earning a Master of Science in Machine Learning. Both focused on transportation safety, using AI to solve real-world problems. Though their research journeys took different paths, their combined work could transform traffic safety across the nation.

Abdulla’s thesis: ‘Multimodal Agentic System for Highway Safety Monitoring’ focused on highway safety – what happens outside the vehicle. He developed two agentic systems: one for describing driving scenes and another for generating automatic accident reports.
Abdulrahman with an ‘Agentic AI Framework for In-Vehicle Safety’, took the wheel from inside, using cabin sensors and AI agents to detect driver fatigue, phone usage, seatbelt use, and even child distraction.

“His system focuses on the external world and monitoring conditions – the road, the weather, the accident,” Abdulrahman said. “Mine looks at the in-cabin factors that can cause those accidents in the first place. Together, they create a full picture.”
Both brothers’ work leverages Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) and agentic AI – the next frontier in artificial intelligence, where multiple autonomous agents handle specialised tasks and collaborate to achieve complex goals. Think Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S., but designed for traffic safety.

What sets Abdulla’s first system apart from traditional models is its integration of a computer vision model with MLLMs to analyse images and objects, enabling deeper situational understanding. A key application would be in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to alert drivers to potential hazards in real time and potentially save lives.

The second system functions like a digital witness to roadway events. Using dashcam footage and sensor data, it automatically identifies accidents (signalled by airbag deployment) and compiles comprehensive reports using inputs from five specialised agents – monitoring everything from weather to seatbelt usage.

For Abdulrahman, the car itself becomes an intelligent co-pilot. His AI agents assess risk factors inside the cabin – whether a driver is drowsy, holding a phone, or a child is unrestrained in the back seat. The final output? A personalised, conversational safety report that keeps drivers informed and alert.

“The benefits are tangible,” they said, listing potential advantages such as reduced accidents, improved insurance processing, faster emergency response times, and greater driver and passenger compliance.

“Ultimately, everyday drivers would get the biggest gains,” Abdulla noted.

The brothers’ supervisor, professor of machine learning, Fakhri Karray, was instrumental in shaping both research paths.

It’s a shared vision that was shaped not just by advanced algorithms, but also by a lifelong bond. From kindergarten to graduate school, the twins have always been in sync – pushing one another to do better and even swapping top rankings in national exams.
“We were always very close growing up,” Abdulla said. “We did almost everything together – whether it was playing, studying, or just spending time at home. Having someone by your side who understands you so well made our bond strong, and that closeness has stayed with us over the years.”
That strength has translated into success. They’ve won national competitions like the 2023 Emirates Skills National AI Competition. Recently, Abdulrahman took top honours in the Global Prompt Engineering Championship at Dubai AI Week.

But for all the accolades, what drives them most is giving back to the UAE. Their dream is to see their systems embedded into next-generation cars and connected to the country’s smart infrastructure – helping reduce accidents, improve emergency response times, and support the nation’s ambitious AI roadmap.
“AI is not just about building smarter systems,” Abdulrahman says. “It’s about building a smarter society. Our projects align with the UAE’s push for smart cities and intelligent infrastructure.”

Whatever steps they take next, the brothers’ advice to other aspiring Emirati students is clear.

“Be prepared to work hard and stay curious, because the field of AI is constantly evolving,” says Abdulrahman.

“And be prepared to step outside your comfort zone too,” Abdulla added.
“You’ll be surprised by what you can achieve.”