Abu Dhabi on Wednesday set out plans to equip thousands of government employees and the wider public with artificial intelligence skills under a major drive to advance responsible use of the rapidly evolving technology.
The Abu Dhabi government and the emirate's Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence have joined forces with global tech giants OpenAI and Microsoft to launch the AiNative training programme.
The key strategy will provide 20,000 government employees with cutting-edge support by the end of the year and is central to Abu Dhabi's mission to become the world's first AI-native government by 2027.
The initiative – announced at the Ai Everything conference in the capital by Abu Dhabi's Department of Government Enablement – will seek to encourage citizens and residents, government workers and department leaders to unlock the potential of AI to drive progress.
Under the initiative, employees will be given help to build up expertise with ChatGPT, Codex and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Specialised, function-specific certifications, including areas such as coding and data, will follow in later phases of the project.
Study tool and job search
Citizens and residents will be able to access the training programme via Tomouh, DGE's AI-driven learning app, which can be accessed through the UAE Pass government app.
The scheme will cover practical applications of AI in everyday life, including managing personal finances, running a small business, finding a job, studying and creating content responsibly online, and will be delivered through the free version of ChatGPT.
DGE owns the curriculum, which has been developed with OpenAI, Microsoft and MBZUAI.
“AI will only create lasting value when people have the knowledge and confidence to use it well,” Wesam Lootah, director general of GovDigital at DGE, said.
“AiNative puts that capability at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s AI journey, giving government employees and the wider community practical skills to use AI responsibly in their work and everyday lives.
“By bringing together government, industry and academia, we are building a common foundation for an AI-enabled society and government.”
Eric Xing, president and professor at MBZUAI, emphasised the importance of ensuring access to AI for all as it shapes the future.
“Championing a culture of lifelong learning ensures that the benefits of new technologies are understood and realised responsibly by all,” he said.
“Through AiNative, people can gain practical knowledge alongside the judgment to apply AI thoughtfully in a way that it becomes a partner for progress.
“Developing this capability at scale will be an important part of Abu Dhabi’s transition to an AI-native government and society.”
AiNative is being rolled out in phases. An initial pilot within government is already under way, before it will be made public.
The launch of AiNative follows the roll-out of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 35,000 Abu Dhabi government employees through the Frontier Employee Programme, announced in July.
Abu Dhabi's AI ambitions
Abu Dhabi unveiled its vision to be the world's first AI-powered government last year, as part of its Digital Strategy 2025-2027.
Led by the DGE, the programme will allocate Dh13 billion ($3.5 billion) to boost digital infrastructure, automate 100 per cent of government processes, and integrate sovereign cloud computing across all operations.
The strategy is expected to contribute more than Dh24 billion to Abu Dhabi’s economy by 2027 and create more than 5,000 employment opportunities supporting Emiratisation efforts.
