The UAE is scaling Agentic AI across government services. For the past few years the AI debate has centred on model power and user numbers, but the UAE is now shifting focus to institutional capability.
In a recent discussion with His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Amr Kamel, General Manager of Microsoft UAE, said the country is moving beyond the question of whether AI belongs in public work. The ambition now is to embed Agentic AI across services, operations and decision‑making at scale, turning AI into a core part of how institutions function. This move goes beyond simple automation, aiming to blend human judgement with AI to create what Kamel calls institutional intelligence.
Government targets half of services for AI transformation
At the federal level, the UAE is targeting the transformation of at least 50% of government services and operations to Agentic AI models within two years. The plan includes a programme to train 80,000 federal employees in using Agentic AI, creating a workforce that can work alongside intelligent agents. The significance is not the number of agents but what they enable when linked to institutional knowledge, embedded in workflows and governed by clear operating models.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is already in use by tens of thousands of civil servants in Abu Dhabi Government, and more than 1,000 custom AI agents have been built inside government departments. These agents are designed to tap into institutional knowledge, policies and data, allowing decisions to be made faster and more consistently. Agents must understand the organisation’s data, policies, history and operate within permissions and guardrails.
Workforce readiness and custom AI agents
Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index shows that 26% of UAE workers surveyed are “Frontier Professionals,” compared with 16% globally. These professionals are not just using AI tools; they are redesigning workflows and creating repeatable processes that integrate AI agents into complex tasks. Microsoft describes these Frontier Firms as human‑led, increasingly AI‑operated organisations.
The rise of Frontier Professionals signals that the UAE workforce is ready to adopt a new operating model where human judgement and AI capability complement each other. As more agents connect to institutional knowledge, organisations can learn faster, improve decisions and continuously evolve.
By embedding AI into the fabric of government operations, the UAE aims to build institutions that combine human insight with machine intelligence. The approach promises to turn AI from a productivity add‑on into a strategic partner that enhances the nation’s institutional strength.