UAE Study Highlights Global Lessons in Building AI-Driven Governments

A new research paper by Yango Group and INSEAD has highlighted how the UAE is transforming artificial intelligence from isolated pilot projects into a core part of government infrastructure, offering a model that policymakers worldwide can learn from.

Titled AI as Public Infrastructure: Lessons from the UAE for Government Transformation, the study argues that governments are entering a new phase of AI adoption where the focus is shifting from experimentation to long-term institutional integration.

According to the research, many countries continue to struggle with fragmented AI initiatives, unclear governance structures, and limited scalability across public services. The report states that the key challenge is no longer whether governments can adopt AI, but how they design, govern, and institutionalise it to create lasting public value.

The UAE was identified as a leading example of this transition. Over the past decade, the country has integrated AI into major government functions through long-term leadership commitment, redesign of public-sector operations, and strategic procurement and partnerships.

The paper highlighted several major UAE initiatives, including the National AI Strategy 2031, the expansion of the TAMM government services platform, Dubai’s AI acceleration programme, and Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure-focused approach aimed at building an “AI-native government.”

Researchers noted that Dubai’s AI acceleration initiative reviewed 183 potential AI use cases before narrowing them down to 15 high-impact projects across sectors such as healthcare, mobility, logistics, and urban infrastructure.

The study also compared the UAE’s approach with strategies adopted in countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, the European Union, and China. It found that successful AI implementation depends less on the technology itself and more on governance, procurement systems, data integration, and the ability to bridge policy and technical expertise.

The research was led by INSEAD Professor Peter Zemsky and included interviews with senior UAE government officials and AI leaders from organisations such as the Dubai Future Foundation, Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi, Mubadala, Core42, and Inception.

Islam Abdul Karim said the discussion around AI has evolved beyond adoption and now centres on how governments structure governance, operations, and infrastructure to support AI at scale.

Meanwhile, Mark Mortensen said the research demonstrates that scaling AI successfully is not only a technological challenge but also an institutional one, adding that the UAE provides valuable lessons for governments seeking to turn AI ambitions into sustainable public value.