The UAE Cabinet has approved a federal framework to deploy agentic artificial intelligence across 50 per cent of government sectors, services and operations within two years, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced after chairing the Cabinet meeting (per the UAE Government Media Office).
What was approved
The Cabinet endorsed the list of federal services that will move under Phase One of the Agentic AI Project. The phase covers four principal categories: citizens' services, residents' services, business-sector services and general public services (per Khaleej Times).
Sheikh Mohammed said the plan would make the UAE the first government in the world to operate at this scale through autonomous AI systems. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan will oversee implementation, with a task force led by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, responsible for execution follow-up (per the Media Office).
What agentic AI changes
Unlike conventional generative AI, agentic systems can analyse information, take decisions and complete tasks end-to-end with minimal human input. Officials say the technology will allow the government to process requests, adjust workflows and improve outcomes in real time, rather than simply suggesting next steps to a human operator (per Computer Weekly).
Workforce training
The UAE will train roughly 80,000 federal employees in agentic AI to deliver the targeted services within the two-year window, The National reported. The training drive forms part of the broader National Programme for Artificial Intelligence and aims to ensure that human oversight, ethics review and accountability remain attached to AI-driven decisions.
Strategic context
The agentic AI rollout sits alongside the UAE's wider digital-government push, including the u.ae platform that recently crossed 11 million users (per Zawya). Sheikh Mohammed described the move as a continuation of the country's effort to be 'the most prepared in the world for the future,' arguing that autonomous AI delivery is the next logical step after the UAE's earlier waves of smart-government and AI-strategy rollouts (per Gulf News).
Independent analysts noted that the headline 50 per cent figure refers to services and operations across federal entities rather than to a fixed number of named platforms, leaving room for interpretation as Phase One is delivered (per Computer Weekly).
