Page 11 - U4SSC Case study Dubai, United Arab Emirates

3.2 AI Principles Enablers (adopted by the city)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has always been at the forefront of AI innovation and adoption,
setting a precedent for the rest of the world to follow. In 2017, the UAE made history by appointing
the first-ever minister for artificial intelligence, showcasing its visionary leadership and commitment
to embracing cutting-edge technologies. Building on this momentous occasion, the UAE AI office
was established with the sole objective of promoting and governing the widespread adoption of
AI. The UAE AI office has developed various pioneering programmes with a focus on innovation,
including the National Program for Artificial Intelligence and the National Program for Coders,
aimed at unleashing the full potential of AI in the region.

Prior to the launch of Dubai AI Principles, Dubai has already seen hundreds of AI use cases across
the private and public sectors in the past decade. The large number of AI use cases can enable the
implementation of AI principles by providing practical examples of how AI can be used in different
contexts, and by highlighting the potential benefits and risks associated with different approaches.
As more organizations and industries adopt AI, there is a growing body of evidence and experience
that can inform best practices for the deployment and improvement of the Dubai AI Principles.

The innovation in the Dubai Government’s procurement management also plays a crucial role in
enabling the implementation of Dubai AI Principles. In 2020, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
(DEWA) participated in launching the “AI Procurement in a Box” toolkit in collaboration with the
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World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and The Centre for the Fourth
Industrial Revolution UAE (C4IR UAE). The toolkit provides advanced mechanisms which enable
a proactive approach to fostering innovation, efficiency and ethics in procuring AI technologies.
By incorporating ethical and responsible AI principles into the procurement process, the city can
ensure that the AI systems it acquires are designed and developed in accordance with ethical
and responsible principles. The procurement process can also promote diversity and inclusion in
AI systems, ensure accountability and transparency, and guarantee access for all members of the
community.

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On the other hand, the official platforms of Dubai such as Dubai Now and Dubai Pulse are digital
portals that allow users to access a wide range of public services and information. These platforms,
along with numerous Internet of Things (IoT) projects, generate large amounts of data about the
city’s infrastructure, economy, population and resource usage, which can be greatly leveraged to
enable, validate and improve the implementation of Dubai’s AI Principles.

Alongside the launch of Dubai AI Principles, Dubai AI Lab conducted multiple capacity-building
programmes with its partner entities to ensure mutual understanding and efficient implementation
of the principles in AI-related projects across the city. At the same time, the Dubai Ethical AI Toolkit
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4 Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, 2020, DEWA participates in launch of ‘AI Procurement in a Box’ toolkit
5 Dubai Now
6 Dubai Pulse
7 Dubai Digital Authority, 2019, Artificial Intelligence Ethics Guidelines

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