The United Arab Emirates ranked first globally in artificial intelligence adoption in the first quarter of 2026, with 70.1% of its working-age population using AI, according to Microsoft’s Global AI Diffusion Report. The UAE became the first economy to cross the 70% threshold, while large parts of the world remain below 10%. The country is expanding AI across government services, education, healthcare, and transport, supported by investments in infrastructure, skills, and governance. At the federal level, the Agentic AI Project aims to turn 50% of federal sectors, services, and operations into autonomous AI-driven models within two years. Abu Dhabi is targeting an AI-native government by 2027 and is training 20,000 employees through a program with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, and Microsoft. Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman have launched parallel agentic-AI and skills initiatives.
The United Arab Emirates ranked first globally in artificial intelligence adoption in the first quarter of 2026, with 70.1% of its working-age population using AI, according to Microsoft’s Global AI Diffusion Report. The UAE became the first economy to cross the 70% threshold, while large parts of the world remain below 10%. The country is expanding AI across government services, education, healthcare, and transport, supported by investments in infrastructure, skills, and governance. At the federal level, the Agentic AI Project aims to turn 50% of federal sectors, services, and operations into autonomous AI-driven models within two years. Abu Dhabi is targeting an AI-native government by 2027 and is training 20,000 employees through a program with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, and Microsoft. Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman have launched parallel agentic-AI and skills initiatives.