The UAE’s AI Office signs an agreement with UNDP to enhance the adoption of artificial intelligence

Dubai: During the World Government Summit 2024, the Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications in the UAE government signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enhance research and development in artificial intelligence technologies and empower talents in the Arab region and beyond.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Abdallah Al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Arab States, and Saqr bin Ghalib, Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office in the UAE government.

Dr. Abdallah Al Dardari said:

 “United in purpose, we pledge to explore ethically and responsibly the possibilities of artificial intelligence. Our collaboration with the Government of the United Arab Emirates is focused on fostering innovation and advancing the attainment of the SDGs. By emphasizing the role of research and development in AI, we are integrating advanced AI and digital ecosystems through various sectors to promote impactful progress and serve people in the Arab region and beyond.”

Saqr bin Ghalib affirmed that the government of the United Arab Emirates, with its future vision and proactive forward-thinking approach, is expanding the scope of various partnerships to explore the prospects of technological opportunities and increase the adoption of these technologies to serve communities, which is a top priority to enhance well-being and ensure sustainable development in line with the directives of the leadership to expand the fields of artificial intelligence adoption for the benefit of humanity.

Saqr bin Ghalib futher added that the World Government Summit serves as an ideal platform for solidifying these purposeful partnerships in line with its objectives to enhance the society’s well-being, support future efforts, and devise innovative solutions to various challenges.

The agreement aims to enhance partnerships in areas of common interest to promote artificial intelligence and benefit from it to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development goals, exploring the necessary factors and requirements for developing and utilizing artificial intelligence and digital ecosystem and formulating ethical policies that promote the guiding principles within responsible artificial intelligence development and ensure the compatibility of these standards with societal values.

Additionally, the agreement aims to support innovation and digital inclusion, with a focus on benefiting communities and leveraging artificial intelligence as a development priority, exchanging knowledge, supporting joint development of digital initiatives, enhancing decision-making processes based on artificial intelligence technologies and digital tools, including data-driven governance frameworks and advanced policy analytics, and using artificial intelligence for data analysis to ensure reliable information for developing various policies and establishing robust data management frameworks and ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence and enhancing trust and increasing adoption of these technologies by reducing associated data risks.

In terms of skills development, the agreement seeks to exchange knowledge, refine experiences and capabilities, empower individuals, strengthen institutions and initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence, including training in data science and machine learning, exchanging views and practical theories, and best practices on current platforms and applications.

UNDP with a global presence in nearly 170 countries serves in many respects as the operational arm of the United Nations at the country level and works with partners in numerous countries to promote sustainable development, eradication of poverty, advancement of women, good governance and the rule of law.

The World Government Summit 2024 took place from February 12 to 14, featured over 120 sessions and 15 forums, hosted over 200 speakers and 120 government delegations gathered to anticipate the future of governments and design solutions to confront future challenges.