UAE to shift 50% of government services to AI within two years

By  News On Air   Apr 24, 2026

The United Arab Emirates plans to shift 50 percent of government services onto artificial intelligence within two years as part of a sweeping overhaul of its public‑sector machinery. The move, announced by Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will apply to around half of the UAE’s government sectors, services and operations, using autonomous Agentic AI systems to execute routine tasks, analyse data and make decisions with minimal human intervention.

Under the new framework, federal entities will be assessed on how quickly they adopt AI tools, redesign processes, and integrate smart systems into daily operations. All federal employees are expected to undergo AI‑specific training to manage the transformation, which officials say aims to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs and speed up service delivery. The plan builds on two decades of digital‑government reforms in the UAE, including e‑government portals, the UAE Pass identity system and Government Services 2.0, and positions Abu Dhabi’s earlier pledge to become a fully AI‑native government by 2027 as part of a broader national strategy.