In a major strategic move to accelerate its national AI agenda, the UAE Government has approved the creation of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority. The new federal body, which reports directly to the UAE Cabinet, is designed to unify the country’s AI, data, and digital government functions under a single, high-level mandate.
Quick Facts
- New body: Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority
- Consolidates three major government tech entities
- Chaired by AI Minister H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama
- Aims to boost AI’s direct contribution to GDP
A Strategic Consolidation
The new authority centralizes the roles of three previously separate government arms: the Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; the Digital Government Sector at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA); and the Emirates Data Office. This consolidation is a direct response to a common global challenge. Research from institutions like INSEAD consistently points to fragmented data environments and poor cross-entity coordination as primary barriers to effective government AI deployment. By creating a single coordinating body, the UAE aims to remove these institutional silos and create a cohesive, AI-powered digital ecosystem.
Building on an Aggressive AI Timeline
This structural overhaul is the latest in a series of rapid-fire decisions from the UAE’s federal government. It follows the recent renaming of the Ministerial Development Council to the Ministerial Council for Artificial Intelligence and Development, a move that placed AI transformation at the highest tier of executive authority. The authority’s formation also comes just days after the Cabinet launched an aggressive 90-day agentic AI sprint, requiring every federal entity to begin implementing its own AI service within three months. This new centralized structure provides the governance framework needed to manage and scale this accelerated adoption across the entire federal government.
Mandate for a Data-Driven Government
Led by Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the authority is tasked with six key responsibilities. Its mandate includes leading the national AI and data agenda, proposing policies and legislation, driving AI’s contribution to the national GDP, and managing the integration of government data platforms. The ultimate goal is to deliver proactive, integrated digital services for citizens and residents, shifting the focus from internal processes to public outcomes.
“We are building the government of the future,” stated His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. “A government that runs on data and agentic AI. One that decides faster, delivers better and never stops improving. A government built around people, not paperwork.”
About the Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority
The Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority is a new UAE federal body established to lead and unify the country’s national strategy for AI, data management, and digital government. Reporting directly to the UAE Cabinet, it consolidates three key government entities to streamline policy, accelerate AI adoption across federal sectors, and enhance the delivery of digital services to the public.
Source: Middle East AI News
