Dubai AI: An AI-Powered Digital City Concierge

Matar Al Hemeiri, Chief Executive, Digital Dubai Government Establishment, Digital Dubai, today announced the launch of ‘Dubai AI’, a generative AI-powered digital city concierge, during the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI, which is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.

During a keynote titled ‘Digital Dubai: A City-Level AI Product’, Al Hemeiri revealed that the city-wide digital platform will offer comprehensive information and services, covering health, entertainment, business, and education, to all residents and visitors across the city.

In a panel titled ‘GenAI and Existential Questions for Government’, Dr. Moza Suwaidan, Chief Executive, Digital Applications and Platforms Sector, Digital Dubai Government Establishment, Digital Dubai, explained that “the way we offer services will drastically change, and we have started today with Dubai AI. Our role in the future will be more focused on enablement and regulations as opposed to operating different services and systems.”

Dr. Suwaidan also addressed concerns regarding privacy and security in the realm of AI, emphasizing that these concerns have persisted since the early days of AI, sometimes deterring certain groups from enjoying its benefits. She stressed the joint responsibility of technology producers, governments, and consumers to guard against AI shortcomings.

During the panel, Christian Gleich, Global Head of Emerging Tech Governance Strategy at the European Blockchain Association, underscored the need to address emerging technologies collectively, stating that “The UAE is an example of how emerging tech topics, such as tokenization, blockchain, and AI, are effectively addressed with expertise. Currently, we are working on regulating these topics separately, but it's essential to recognize that they are converging and evolving together.”

In another keynote titled ‘Synthetic Data: The Next Wave of Privacy Solutions’, Younus Al Nasser, Chief Executive, Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, Digital Dubai, advocated for synthetic data as a solution to address critical concerns surrounding the privacy and security of AI applications.

Synthetic data represents AI-generated data that mimics the structure and content of real data without revealing individual identities, thus offering a balance between privacy and data quality.

He explained how synthetic data is playing a key role in fueling digital transformation, aligning with Dubai’s ambitious Economic Agenda D33, which aims to contribute AED 100 billion annually to the city's economy through digital transformation projects.

“In an ever-evolving landscape of innovative technologies, we must find innovative ways to fuel the data requirements for transformative technologies like generative AI. Synthetic data plays a pivotal role in fulfilling these demands,” Al Nasser concluded.

Digital Dubai, a strategic partner of the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI, is scheduled to host a private session tomorrow on the sidelines of the event, titled ‘Responsible Generative AI: Towards Systematic Ethical AI Assessment in Dubai’.

The discussion unveils thought-provoking key findings on the current landscape of generative AI uses across Dubai’s government, as well as provide an introductory masterclass on the certification of AI ethics.

Muhammad Aamir / Hazem Hussein