World’s first AI government! UAE announces that 50% of government services will be operated by AI before 2028.

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The UAE has announced that by 2028, 50% of its government functions, services, and operations will be managed by autonomous AI (Agentic AI) systems, making it the world's first government to operate on this scale relying on autonomous systems. This initiative marks a fundamental leap in the role of artificial intelligence in public governance, shifting from an assistive tool to an autonomous "executive partner."

UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced this plan on Thursday. The "new model of government" is personally authorized and promoted by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "AI is no longer just a tool; it can analyze, decide, execute, and continuously improve in real time, becoming our executive partner to enhance services, accelerate decision-making, and improve efficiency," Sheikh Mohammed wrote on social platform X. He also clarified the logic for advancement: "The world is changing, technology is evolving rapidly, but our principle remains unchanged—people first. The goal is to build a faster, more responsive, and more effective government."

For UAE residents, the experience of government affairs will undergo a fundamental transformation—from independently navigating the system to simply stating your objectives and needs, with all complex execution processes handled entirely by AI in the background. This transformation has a clear two-year timetable, with government performance to be measured by the speed of AI adoption, the quality of implementation, and the extent to which AI is mastered in the redesign of government operations.

The plan is overseen overall by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, with a special task force led by Mohammad Al Gergawi, and will be implemented in phases across ministries and federal entities, with continuous performance and impact evaluations as the foundation for its roll-out.

From Assistive Tool to "Executive Partner": A Fundamental Redefinition of AI’s Role

At the core of this plan is the elevation of AI from a process-assisting tool to an autonomous executive entity in government operations. According to the plan, AI systems will manage the full spectrum of government workflows rather than intervening only at specific points for support.

In this model, users only need to define objectives, and the system autonomously completes execution—the complexity of processing, decision-making, and feedback are all handled by AI on the back end. Sheikh Mohammed refers to this design philosophy as "redesigning government work," not simply automating existing processes.

Two-Year Timetable, Staff Training and System Deployment Progress in Sync

The UAE government has set a clear two-year execution window for this plan. According to the plan, every federal government employee will receive training to master generative AI technologies and their applications, aiming to build one of the world's most capable AI-driven government talent reserves.

The project will advance in phases across ministries and federal entities, with ongoing performance and impact evaluations setting the pace, and will be centrally coordinated by the special task force to ensure systematic implementation at the federal government level.

Twenty Years of Digital Infrastructure Lay the Groundwork for Large-Scale AI Roll-Out

Reportedly, this move toward an autonomous AI government is built on more than twenty years of digital transformation in the UAE—from early implementation of e-government and service digitalization, to integrated systems like UAE Pass identity verification, to data-driven proactive service delivery led by initiatives like "Government Services 2.0."

At the strategic level, the UAE in 2017 became the world's first country to establish a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, and officially launched the "UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031" under the "UAE Centennial 2071" vision framework. In 2020, the establishment of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications further reinforced this direction.

On the infrastructure side, the UAE has spent over ten years building digital infrastructure connecting all government entities, making it one of the most advanced public service ecosystems in the world. Platforms developed by the UAE Government and Digital Dubai now enable residents to manage hundreds of government services online, covering everything from paying fines to business registration.

Three-Stage Evolution Path: From Online Services to Autonomous System Execution

The UAE’s digital government transformation follows a clear three-phase evolutionary path.

The first phase moved services online, reducing paperwork and greatly decreasing the need for residents to visit offices in person; the second phase introduced mobile apps, automated systems, and AI tools, which improved speed and accessibility but still required users to manage their own processes; the third phase—now underway—goes beyond the interface level to build systems that can complete tasks independently, where users only need to define objectives and the system handles the entire execution process.

According to Gulf News, the focus of this transformation has shifted from "service digitalization" to "service redesign." This process aligns with some macro trends in developed economies, but the UAE's advancement is significantly faster than in most countries.

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