UAE to become first country to utilise AI in writing laws
KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) The UAE is set to become the first country to actively use AI to help write and review new and existing legislation. The landmark initiative will further solidify the country as a leading practitioner of emerging technology and could possibly serve as a case study for the rest of the world. The new programme will fall under the umbrella of the newly formed 'Regulatory Intelligence Office', which was approved by the Cabinet on April 14. It seeks to create a singular body to integrate AI into every stage of lawmaking, using data to analyse the effectiveness of new and existing legislation. 'The new system will allow us to track the daily impact of laws on our people and economy using large-scale data, and it will regularly suggest updates to our legislation,' His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said in a statement. 'The system will be linked to leading global research centres to follow the best international policies and legislative practices, adapting them to suit the UAE's unique circumstances,' His Highness added. The move is a continuation of the UAE Government's world-leading push to become a centre for both the implementation and development of AI. Having launched its AI Strategy 2031 and appointed the world's first Minister of AI, the UAE Government is looking to lead by example by utilising emerging technologies across its functions. As part of Dubai AI Week, the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI) on Thursday released a report detailing 15 use cases across government that have already yielded substantial efficiency gains. In one case, an existing programme managed to see a 300% increase in the recovery of lost items. Another recorded a 94.6% improvement in the accuracy of multilingual government digital texts and transcripts, while some other case witnessed an 85% boost in real estate valuation accuracy.'We are building a comprehensive platform that unites the public and private sectors with academia to develop and deploy AI solutions, shape enabling policies and legislation, raise awareness, and spread knowledge,' said Saeed Al Falasi, Director of DCAI.The report included key research that detailed how AI could be further implemented to improve urban environments, healthcare, operational and logistical costs as well as customer satisfaction. It forecast that by making these changes, the Dubai Government can radically reduce its overhead by 70%, improve results and help usher in an industry that could make up to14% of the UAE's GDP by 2030. In Abu Dhabi, a strategy has been set to create an AI-powered government, based on an announcement early this year. With an investment of Dh13 billion in innovations for 2025-2027, the emirate seeks to build the world's first fully AI-native government across all digital services in two years. The 'Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027' aims to establish a robust digital infrastructure, creating a flexible and scalable foundation to achieve 100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing for government operations and digitising and automating 100% of processes, according to the announcement in January. The transition to AI integration is not without its costs, with the UAE leading the world in AI investment both domestically and abroad. A recent report by Boston Consulting Group found that the country led the region in AI preparedness due to its substantive infrastructure both existing and under development, including 35 Data Centres already in operation.
Moreover, the report found that the UAE had succeeded in attracting almost 7000 AI specialists to help implement the transition although it warned that talent could be a constraint going forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
7 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi Chamber: A year of impact and expansion
1 Aug 2025 15:30 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Following the resolution issued on July 28, 2024 by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, to restructure the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Board of Directors, the Chamber has entered a new phase of strategic delivery and private sector the months since, the Chamber has marked a year of tangible momentum. Membership grew by 4.9%, exceeding 158,000 companies, illustrating the growing strength and confidence in Abu Dhabi's business landscape and the Chamber's role as a key enabler for enterprises. During this period, the sectors posting the sharpest increases were agriculture, forestry, and fishing (21% growth), arts and entertainment (13%), and information and communication technologies and technical activities (10%). Additional growth was seen across water and waste management (9%), real estate and administrative services (8%), education (7%), transport and storage (6%), and mining and quarrying (5%). Construction, manufacturing, and financial services also recorded steady expansion of around 3%. Business engagement deepened further as over 1,000 private sector's representatives took part in 69 business events, including the flagship Abu Dhabi Business Week, and 10 legal and commercial workshops. To advance policy and regulatory reforms, 15 advocacy working groups collaborated with business leaders, while the Chamber answered sectors needs with 364 economic reports supporting data-driven planning and engagement also accelerated: the Chamber received 70 diplomatic trade delegations and for the first time, opened an international office in Poland to extend Abu Dhabi's international outbound delegations enhanced market connectivity, and 25 global cooperation agreements were signed. During this period, the Chamber also celebrated business excellence, awarding the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award to 7 companies for their performance and 18,900 enquiries were answered as the Chamber continued its strong commitment to service, reflected in a 90.23% satisfaction rating on the TAMM platform. Shamis Ali Al Dhaheri, Second Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: 'Our progress over the past period demonstrates the resilience and ambition of Abu Dhabi's private sector. Through meaningful partnerships and a commitment to innovation and excellence, we continue to open new pathways for businesses to thrive locally and globally.'
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
South Africa continues to engage the United States (US) government on the reciprocal tariffs
President Cyril Ramaphosa notes with concern the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States (US) on South African products. The reciprocal tariffs have been imposed by the US on a significant number of its trade partners and South Africa has not been spared. South Africa will continue negotiating with the US regarding the 30 percent tariff announced by the US, which will come into effect on or after 12h01 eastern daylight time, 7 days after 1 August 2025. All applicable exceptions published in the previous US Executive Order are set to remain in force and these exceptions covered products such as copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, stainless steel scrap and energy and energy products. Government has been engaging the United States, and has submitted a Framework Deal that aims to enhance mutually beneficial trade and investment relations. All channels of communication remain open to engage with the US and our negotiators are ready pending invitation from the US. In the meantime, Government is finalising a package to support companies that are vulnerable to the reciprocal tariffs. The package consists of a number of measures to assist companies, producers and workers affected by the tariffs on SA exports to the US. The details of the measures will be announced in due course. South Africa and US trade relations are complementary in nature and South African exports do not pose a threat to US industry. Importantly, SA exports to the US contain inputs from the African Continent and contribute to intra-Africa trade. South Africa will continue to pursue all diplomatic efforts to safeguard its national interests. It is important that as a country we keep our people at work and our companies producing some of the high-quality products destined for many parts of the world. To this end, Government will intensify its diversification strategy to create resilience of our economy and is working with export councils and industry associations, as well as top exporters to the US with a view to assist with alternative markets. In this regard, an Export Support Desk to provide updates on development and provide advisory services to exporters has been established. The details are to be published by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition on its website. Government, through the dtic is also in constant contact with the US on the Framework Deal. The Executive order published by the United States today clarifies that goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit before 12h01 eastern daylight time, 7 days after 1 August 2025, and entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, before 12h01 eastern daylight time on 5 October 2025, shall not be subject to such additional duty and shall instead remain subject to the additional ad valorem duties previously imposed in Executive Order 14257, as amended. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.
Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
Creating smarter South African retail experiences
In recent years, there's been a dramatic shift in the way people shop and the way brands connect with them. And while much of this shift might seem seamless from the outside, more often than not, it's quietly being powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). For retailers, embracing AI isn't just about future-proofing their businesses, it's about unlocking smarter, faster and, believe it or not, more human ways of working that will ultimately benefit the customer, the team and the bottom line. From predicting stock needs and personalising customer journeys to freeing up in-store teams from repetitive admin, AI isn't just making retail more efficient. Surprisingly to some, it's making it more human. 'Retail has always been about people. Meeting their needs, building loyalty and creating a connection,' says Jeané van Greunen, chief client officer at Helm. 'What AI allows us to do is add that personal touch at scale, with more accuracy, efficiency and empathy.' When people think of AI in retail, they often imagine robots, self-checkouts, or talking screens. But some of the most powerful innovations are happening behind the scenes. A key area that's benefiting is inventory management. Thanks to machine learning, retailers are now moving from reactive stock planning to predictive models that factor in everything from the weather to local buying trends. That means less waste, fewer empty shelves, and more happy customers. And it gives staff more time to focus on what they do best, which is helping people and building those relationships. Another major benefit lies in dynamic pricing. AI can analyse real-time data to optimise promotions and protect margins in a fast-moving, highly competitive environment. 'We're seeing AI support retailers in making thousands of micro-decisions each day. Those decisions no human team could possibly keep up with alone,' says Van Greunen. 'But it's not about removing people from the process. It's about making those processes more intelligent and responsive, and ultimately, more human.' AI is also transforming customer-facing experiences often in ways that feel effortless. From virtual fitting rooms and smart search tools to in-app product suggestions that feel helpful (not creepy), machine learning is making shopping more personal and less transactional. It's happening in-store too with heatmaps and traffic analytics to help retailers improve store layouts. Voice assistants and AI-powered chatbots guide customers and allow human staff to focus on relationship-building, not repetitive queries. 'Some retailers worry that AI will make the experience colder,' says Van Greunen. 'But the opposite is true. It's helping brands become more responsive, relevant, and emotionally intelligent. People still buy from people and AI just helps those people shine.' One of AI's most underrated benefits in retail is how it supports teams on the ground. Automating low-value, time-consuming tasks like scheduling, reporting, or basic troubleshooting means staff have more time and more headspace to deliver real value. 'When you give your people the tools to be more effective, they feel more engaged. They perform better, stay longer, and become true ambassadors for your brand. That's where AI and people strategy come together.' Helm believes that AI and automation should be designed around people and not the other way around. That's why they partner with retailers to reimagine customer and employee journeys that are strategic and scalable, but most importantly, human. From intelligent automation to data-led CX strategies, Helm serves to help retail businesses make AI work in the real world – not as a gimmick or a quick fix, but as a genuine driver of value and long-term, sustainable growth. 'We've worked across industries, and the same message keeps coming up: retailers want to evolve, without giving up what makes them unique,' says van Greunen. 'Our role is to help them use AI to elevate that uniqueness, not replace it.' In a sector where margins are thin and expectations are high, AI has become indispensable in gaining and maintaining a competitive edge. When used wisely, it can boost loyalty, cut costs, improve efficiency and above all, empower the people at the heart of the business. Just like customer demands keep changing, retail will keep moving, but with the right technology and a human-centred approach, that move will always be in the right direction.
