UAE to Run 50% of Government on Agentic AI by 2028 – A Global First

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UAE Orders 50% of Government Operations to Run on Agentic AI by 2028

The UAE has announced plans to use Agentic AI to automate half of its federal government work – including services and operations – within the next two years. This would make the UAE the first country to adopt autonomous systems on such a large scale.

On April 23, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister, announced a new plan during a Cabinet meeting, following instructions from President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

What the UAE’s Agentic AI Plan Involves

Agentic AI is different from typical software because it can think for itself. It can examine information, decide what to do, complete tasks involving multiple steps, and get better over time—all without needing constant guidance from people.

Following the President of the UAE’s vision, we are introducing a new way for the government to operate. Over the next two years, half of all government areas – including services and daily operations – will be powered by Agentic AI. This will make the UAE the first country in the world to use AI-powered autonomous systems on such a large scale.

AI…

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 23, 2026

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The UAE intends to fully integrate these technologies into its everyday government operations. Sheikh Mohammed has called this a major transformation in how the government functions.

According to a recent announcement quoting Sheikh Mohammed, the Vice President and Prime Minister, artificial intelligence will work alongside the government to help make decisions, improve public services, streamline operations, and quickly identify areas for improvement.

The new rule requires all federal employees to receive AI training. Leaders, including ministers and directors-general, will be assessed on how quickly and well they integrate AI into their work, and how effectively they change processes to take advantage of it.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be in charge of making sure this happens, and a special team led by Mohammad Al Gergawi, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, will handle the details.

A Decade of AI Groundwork

This announcement takes advantage of the UAE’s already established technology base. The country has been a leader in artificial intelligence, becoming the first in the world to create a dedicated AI minister and launching a national AI plan in 2017.

Omar Al Olama has been appointed as the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. At just 27 years old, he previously led the World Government Summit and played a key role in developing the UAE’s AI Strategy.

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 19, 2017

The UAE made this appointment because they believe artificial intelligence will be the next big technological shift, and they want to be leaders in this field.

Sheikh Mohammed stated that Artificial Intelligence represents the next significant leap forward for our era, and he aims for his country to be a global leader in the field.

It later established a dedicated ministry for AI, digital economy, and remote work in 2020.

Many countries are working towards the same objectives. For example, Estonia’s KrattAI and Singapore’s Smart Nation project are both using AI-powered systems to improve public services.

Estonia’s government has introduced Bürokratt, a new virtual assistant powered by AI. Similar to voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, Bürokratt lets Estonian citizens easily access important government services using just their voice, according to Wired.

— e-Estonia (@e_estonia) January 2, 2023

No government has yet announced plans to implement Agentic AI as widely or quickly as proposed here, across so much of its federal work.

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2026-04-23 21:17