From over 8,000 applications worldwide, just 115 students have earned their place in the UAE's first-ever undergraduate artificial intelligence program, and their stories truly show what it takes to pioneer the future of technology in the UAE.

The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence welcomed its inaugural Bachelor of Science cohort this semester with a five per cent acceptance rate. Artificial intelligence has always been a subject to be taught on the master's or PhD level; nevertheless, the groundbreaking undergraduate programme is a one-of-its-kind in the UAE that is specialised in AI and teaches it to its students from day one.

In a statement, Provost Professor Baldwin said,“The jobs of tomorrow are being shaped by AI today and we must ensure that future generations are equipped with the tools and skills to navigate that shift. Our extraordinarily talented students don't just learn about AI, but learn with it, through it, and for it. This is an extraordinary value proposition across all our programmes, but especially for our undergraduate students, who will be studying towards a bachelor's degree in AI that I believe sets a new global benchmark in terms of technical depth, real-world relevance, and the high-end AI job-readiness of the students.”

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Among the accepted students are Emirati twin sisters Alaa and Aya Mohamed Elsayed, whose journeys into AI took dramatically different paths. Alaa, the youngest winner of the Nasser Bin Hamad Global Youth Creativity Award, has already built AI-driven medical devices for neurological patients and governmental tools for sustainability challenges.

"For me, AI isn't just about algorithms - it's about people," Alaa told Khaleej Times. "I feel a huge sense of responsibility. We're not only representing ourselves but also showing how Emirati youth can lead innovation globally."

Her twin sister Aya took a creative route to technology. A young journalist personality who has won over tens of awards in poetry, programming, and public speaking, she sees AI as transforming storytelling itself.

"I was always the storyteller while Alaa was the builder," Aya told Khaleej Times. "But AI gave me a way to merge creativity with technology. I want to work at the intersection of AI and media imagine tools that help people of determination access culture, or platforms that preserve our oral storytelling traditions."

The twins study alongside students like Russian entrepreneur Arthur Leontiev, who left his successful Moscow startup to pursue technical mastery in Abu Dhabi. After leading digital transformation projects for restaurant chains, Arthur realised he needed deeper AI expertise.

"I had built a startup and learned a lot from the business world. But I realised I needed depth - real technical mastery," Arthur told Khaleej Times. "The UAE's vision felt like the perfect place to challenge myself."

What surprised him the most was the classroom diversity. "I might be sitting next to an Emirati innovator, a student from Asia, and another from Africa. The mix of perspectives is powerful-it's like a live laboratory of ideas."

The program offers two streams: AI for Engineering and AI for Business, with students gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge research, including Arabic language models.

Students of the current cohort will be starting their fall classes next week, with the upcoming applications period to be announced soon.

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