Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has signed a significant agreement with the World Economic Forum to establish a new Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in the UAE capital. The initiative positions the university at the forefront of global AI policy and governance discussions.
A Hub for Global AI Governance and Innovation
Hosted by MBZUAI, the UAE centre will focus on advancing global AI excellence and strengthening the nation’s competitiveness. It will serve as a collaborative platform, bringing together leaders from government, industry, and academia to co-design and pilot initiatives that support AI research, governance, adoption, and commercial innovation.
The centre aims to bridge the gap between frontier AI research and its real-world application, directly addressing pressing economic, social, and human challenges. By focusing on how AI systems interact with people and institutions, it will translate algorithms into tangible impact.
Part of a Global C4IR Network Expansion
This partnership is part of a major global expansion by the World Economic Forum, which is launching six new C4IR centres across the UAE, United Kingdom, France, and India. This expansion reflects the Forum’s strategy to promote the responsible adoption of frontier technologies, with a specific focus on artificial intelligence, the energy transition, and cyber resilience—key priorities for governments and industries worldwide.
The new UAE centre will be fully integrated into the C4IR Global Network, contributing regional perspectives to global technology policy development while benefiting from shared international dialogue and cooperation.
Bolstering Abu Dhabi’s Tech Ecosystem
The agreement marks the second major C4IR initiative for the UAE announced recently. It follows a similar deal between the World Economic Forum and Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) to establish the Abu Dhabi Centre for Frontier Technologies. While the MBZUAI centre will concentrate on AI, the TII hub will focus on other emerging fields like quantum computing, robotics, and space systems.
Together, these centres underscore Abu Dhabi’s strategic effort to become a leading global testbed for developing, piloting, and scaling emerging technologies, supported by an agile regulatory environment.
About Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
MBZUAI is the world’s first graduate-level, research-based university dedicated solely to artificial intelligence. Based in Abu Dhabi, it offers specialized programs in core AI domains, including machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, fostering a new generation of AI leaders.
About The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Network
The World Economic Forum’s C4IR Global Network is a platform for multi-stakeholder collaboration. It brings together governments, leading companies, civil society, and experts from around the world to co-design and pilot innovative approaches to the policy and governance of new technologies.
Source: Middle East AI News
