Dr. Raymond Khoury of Arthur D. Little Middle East describes the UAE’s new Federal Authority for Artificial Intelligence and Data as a strategic milestone. The body will unify policies, accelerate the adoption of Agentic AI, and enhance data-driven governance across the nation.
Dr. Raymond Khoury, Senior Partner and Innovation Practice Lead, Arthur D. Little Middle East said: “The decision by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to establish the Federal Authority for Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Digital Government represents a pivotal strategic milestone in the UAE’s journey toward building an integrated, data-driven, and AI-powered government model. Creating a unified federal umbrella for these critical domains will strengthen the harmonization of policies, standards, and governance frameworks across the federal government, ensuring greater execution efficiency, accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies, and reducing duplication of efforts and investments across government entities. It will also help establish a more integrated institutional framework that maximizes the value of data as one of the nation’s most important strategic assets.
This move assumes even greater significance as governments worldwide transition toward Agentic AI – an emerging paradigm in which intelligent digital agents can autonomously perform tasks, take actions, and coordinate across systems and services. Successfully deploying such capabilities requires a robust foundation of data governance, unified cybersecurity and privacy standards, and comprehensive risk management frameworks. The newly established authority is well-positioned to lead and institutionalize these foundational elements at the federal level, enabling the secure, scalable, and responsible deployment of Agentic AI solutions. This, in turn, will enhance government service delivery, improve citizen and resident experiences, strengthen data-driven decision-making, and further reinforce the UAE’s position as a global leader in leveraging advanced technologies for public sector transformation.
Equally important is the appointment of a serving Minister of State to lead the authority, a decision that speaks volumes about the strategic and operational importance of AI, data, and digital government within the UAE’s national agenda. This appointment underscores that the authority is not merely another regulatory body, but rather a national engine for accelerating digital transformation and coordinating efforts across government entities. It is expected to play a central role in ensuring alignment and integration between federal and local government initiatives, creating consistency in policies, regulations, technology priorities, and implementation approaches across the UAE. Such alignment will be instrumental in translating the nation’s ambitious vision for AI, data analytics, and digital government into tangible, sustainable outcomes that deliver long-term economic and societal value.”
