Sheikh Tahnoon Leads AI Council Session as Abu Dhabi Pushes Tech Goals

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council, chaired a meeting of the council, with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Vice Chairman of the council, in attendance. The session pushed forward Abu Dhabi’s effort to place artificial intelligence at the centre of its government and economy.

At the heart of the discussion was a question about what kind of future the emirate is building for its people. Sheikh Tahnoon made clear that the ambition reaches further than simply adopting AI. The goal, he said, is to develop the technologies themselves and to shape the economy that grows around them.

That ambition carries practical weight for the emirate’s institutions and residents. Sheikh Tahnoon emphasised that investment, research and international partnerships should be directed towards creating a lasting scientific and technological base in Abu Dhabi, one that allows its people and institutions to generate knowledge, establish new industries and build a model of government with AI at the core of its operations.

Meanwhile, the council took stock of progress across the priorities supporting Abu Dhabi’s AI and advanced technology ecosystem. Among the items reviewed were the UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi, the advancement of AI research, specialised talent and open AI models. Members also examined the Abu Dhabi Government’s path towards becoming the world’s first fully AI-native government by 2027, a target that would reshape how public services are designed and delivered for everyone in the emirate.

Behind the policy discussion stands a body with broad reach. The Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council serves as Abu Dhabi’s supreme authority for AI and advanced technology projects, investments and research. It sets the policies, strategies, frameworks and priorities that guide investment, research and development across these fields.

The meeting drew a wide circle of senior figures. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of the AIATC, attended, along with council members Dr Ahmed Mubarak bin Nawi Al Mazrouei, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, Humaid Obaid Abushibs, Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Ahmed Tamim Hisham Al Kuttab and Peng Xiao. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Office of the Crown Prince, was also present.

Taken together, the meeting signalled continuity in Abu Dhabi’s technology agenda, with leadership framing AI not as a tool to be imported but as a foundation for knowledge, industry and governance that the emirate intends to build for itself. Whether the 2027 target for a fully AI-native government holds will be the measure to watch in the years ahead.