Dubai's early adoption of artificial intelligence has helped the emirate move ahead of global competitors, with every government entity now having a designated AI officer to lead digital transformation internally, a senior official has said.

Speaking at Care for Sustainability MENA in Dubai, Marwan Al Zarouni, Chief Executive Officer of AI at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said Dubai is implementing a“lead by example” model to accelerate the integration of AI across essential public services and regulatory systems.

“We created a unified vision for executing AI in government. Having an AI officer in every department is extremely important to us,” he said.“It ensures ownership, alignment and the ability to move quickly.”

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Al Zarouni explained that each government CEO meets regularly with peers to consolidate ideas and share progress, creating consistent momentum across agencies.“That experience and knowledge is passed across departments, which is exactly how alignment happens in Dubai,” he said.

The fireside chat, Dubai's Dual Engine: Leveraging AI and Blockchain to Accelerate Innovation, highlighted how Dubai's economic model is being driven by both emerging technologies.

Care for Sustainability MENA, which began on Wednesday at Madinat Jumeirah, positions itself as the region's most impactful stage for climate action and clean energy innovation. Accredited by CPD and organised by Trescon, the event gathers more than 1,000 delegates, including government representatives, investors, and industry leaders, for two days of collaboration on building a low carbon future.

During the session, Al Zarouni noted that Dubai started preparing for large scale AI deployment much earlier than many international cities, citing the UAE's appointment of the world's first Minister of AI in 2017 and dedicated education initiatives dating back to 2012.

“This head start allowed us to build skills, structure and regulation before the technology matured,” he said.

He also pointed to Dubai's D33 economic agenda, which aims to double the emirate's GDP by 2033. AI alone is expected to contribute Dh100 billion annually to that goal.

Dubai is also aiming to become one of the top three global cities in the next decade, targeting 400 high impact scale ups to set up and grow in the emirate. Programmes such as Dubai 500 School are designed to support startups and investors by connecting talent, capital and mentorship in both physical and virtual spaces.

Al Zarouni said policy development remains a critical part of Dubai's innovation ecosystem. The emirate's virtual asset regulatory framework (VARA), he explained, was designed through constant feedback from industry stakeholders, allowing businesses to scale without legal uncertainty.

“We want to create an environment where companies can establish themselves here with clarity and confidence,” he said.

Calling Dubai's technology approach“intelligent infrastructure", he said the city will continue focusing on agility, safety and real world outcomes.

“AI in Dubai is not theory anymore. It is practical, it is executed and it is integrated into how the city operates,” Al Zarouni said.

Alongside major enterprises and government entities, technology startups attending the event said Dubai's approach to AI creates real commercial opportunities.

Alex Pavan, Founder and CEO of Emtribe, said the company chose to launch and scale in the UAE because digital transformation and sustainability are moving from ambition to regulation.

“When everybody is talking about sustainability in the region, and the UAE is one of the front runners for net zero, decarbonisation and energy optimisation, there is a need for automation and digitalisation to support this shift,” he said.“That is why we wanted to be part of Care. We care about sustainance.”

Pavan said Emtribe's platform is fully built using AI capability.“We do not code a single line. Everything is generated through AI,” he said, adding that the company plans to deploy its systems on the UAE AI infrastructure.

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