How UAE's Early AI, Digital Investments Turned Ideas Into Real-World Impact

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The UAE's early investment in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) has helped move promising ideas beyond pilots and into real-world impact, UAE officials said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Badr Jafar, UAE Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy, pointed out the growing disconnect between rapid AI developmen and its practical use in addressing real-world social challenges. He emphasised that connecting AI with social innovation is key to unlocking driving transformative growth, noting that true innovation thrives when risks are well understood and successful outcomes are rewarded.

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“In the UAE, we have seen how early investment in digital infrastructure, skills, and public-sector adoption - combined with strong governance and trust - has helped move promising ideas beyond pilots and into real-world impact. When government, business, and philanthropy come together around that principle, strategic philanthropy can play a catalytic role in absorbing early risk and investing in the infrastructure that helps what works travel faster and further,” he said during a high-level dialogue hosted at the Forum in collaboration with the UAE Prime Minister's Office, titled“The AI Impact Flywheel: Government, Business & Strategic Philanthropy”.

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The UAE participated in the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum 2026 with a high-level delegation led by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. The delegation included more than 100 ministers, senior government officials, and leaders from major private sector companies. Their participation reinforces the country's active and consistent engagement in this global forum, which serves as an annual platform for advancing international cooperation across key development sectors, particularly those related to the global economy.

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, president and CEO of Frontier25 and The Climate Tribe, said many existing AI tools built to support climate adaptation have also generated significant societal impact.

“It is often the most vulnerable populations, including women, youth, and the economically disadvantaged, that are disproportionately impacted by extreme weather and rising temperatures - but by effectively using AI, we have the ability to use insights on energy production and consumption, develop early warning systems to mitigate risk, and create data-driven strategies to build resilience,” she said, adding that the UAE is leading the way in investing in the most innovative technological solutions.

“While AI has the potential to help out the planet, we have an ethical responsibility to use it with intentionality and transparency.”

Huda Al Hashimi, deputy minister of the Cabinet for Strategic Affairs, added that the UAE Government's commitment to deepening multilateral international cooperation in developing and governing AI-enabled technologies, advancing responsible cross-sector innovation, while ensuring these efforts support development goals, strengthen the global philanthropic ecosystem, and empower communities worldwide to benefit from future-ready solutions that drive sustainable growth and prosperity.

She stressed that impact-driven innovation is the primary force guiding the responsible development and adoption of AI, and a key determinant in shaping the trajectory of this rapidly evolving sector, maximising its positive contributions while addressing future challenges most closely tied to people's lives and livelihoods.

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