The United Arab Emirates has approved the establishment of a new Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority, creating a federal body that will bring the country’s AI, government data and digital government responsibilities under one national mandate.
The decision was approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The authority will report directly to the UAE Cabinet and will be chaired by Omar Sultan Al Olama, the country’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.
The new authority gives the UAE a single federal platform for one of its most closely watched policy priorities: using artificial intelligence and high-quality government data to make public services faster, more predictive and less dependent on traditional paperwork-heavy processes.
AI, Data and Digital Services Under One Roof
The new authority will consolidate responsibilities that were previously spread across three entities: the Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; the Digital Government Sector at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority; and the UAE Data Office.
AI in government depends less on isolated tools and more on the quality, availability and interoperability of public data. A chatbot, automated licensing service or AI-assisted government platform can only work effectively if the records behind it are accurate, shareable and governed by common standards.
Under the mandate, the authority will propose national policies, legislation and strategies related to AI, data and digital government. It will also work to align digital initiatives across federal and local entities, reducing duplication and helping ministries and agencies move in the same direction.
Omar Al Olama to Lead the Authority
Omar Sultan Al Olama’s appointment as chairman gives the new body a familiar public face. Al Olama has been central to the UAE’s AI agenda since the country created a ministerial role for artificial intelligence in 2017, a step later referenced by the UAE Cabinet as part of the country’s longer digital transformation track.
His new role places him at the center of a broader institutional shift. Rather than treating AI as a specialist technology portfolio, the UAE is now positioning it as part of the operating system of government itself.
Sheikh Mohammed described the goal as a government that is “faster, smarter” and “built around people, not paperwork.” The language points to a practical ambition: services that anticipate needs, reduce friction and make government interaction easier for citizens, residents, businesses and investors.
The New Authority’s Core Tasks
The Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority will develop and lead the national AI strategy, manage government data quality and availability, and operate AI-powered national data platforms to support evidence-based decision-making.
Its functions also include setting standards and guidelines for data management, AI governance, digital transformation and government services. Federal entities will be expected to comply with these standards, giving the authority a role not only in strategy but also in oversight.
Another part of the mandate focuses on national capability-building. The authority will support research, development and technical advisory work, while helping government teams build skills in AI and digital transformation.
The authority’s mandate also links the authority to cybersecurity and government information security management, a critical issue as public institutions adopt more automated systems and rely more heavily on shared data infrastructure.
The UAE’s Broader AI Automation Push
The new authority follows a series of UAE government moves around agentic AI, a term used for systems designed to carry out tasks, manage workflows and make recommendations with a degree of autonomy.
In April, the UAE Cabinet announced a framework to deploy agentic AI across 50 percent of government sectors, services and operations within two years. In May, the Cabinet also approved governance roles for federal ministries and entities implementing the project and launched a training program for 80,000 federal employees in agentic AI tools and technologies.
Seen together, those steps suggest the authority is not just a symbolic addition to the UAE’s technology landscape. It appears designed to provide the institutional structure needed to scale AI across government without leaving each agency to build separate systems, policies or data pipelines.
A Digital Economy Angle
The authority’s mandate includes increasing the digital economy’s contribution to the UAE’s gross domestic product.
A centralized AI and data authority could give companies and investors a clearer framework for working with public-sector digital platforms. It may also help accelerate the development of AI-enabled services in sectors such as licensing, healthcare, logistics, public administration and business registration.
The authority’s work could also make it easier to connect public-sector platforms with broader innovation goals, including international partnerships in AI, data and digital government. Its official mandate includes operating AI-powered national data platforms, supporting evidence-based decision-making and overseeing proactive digital services designed around individual users.
The UAE has spent years building a reputation as an early adopter of digital government, AI strategy and future-focused public administration. The creation of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority marks a more structural phase of that effort.
