“Build bridges, not walls”: Inside the UAE’s Operating System for AI at scale

At a glance: In a wide-ranging conversation with CNBC TV anchor and moderator Amanda Drury on the first day of the GITEX Global 2025 on Monday, H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama–the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications–outlined how the country is operationalising AI across government, competing globally for talent, and confronting risks from energy use to deepfakes.

Below are the most important takeaways for founders, investors, and policy watchers across Asia.

1) Talent is the “oil” of the digital economy

Al Olama was blunt: people are the growth engine. The UAE’s Green and Golden Visa schemes are designed to simplify relocation for high-skilled builders. At the same time, the country continues to seed domestic talent through MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence) with funded master’s and PhD tracks. The minister framed this as a long game started years ago, citing early national moves on AI policy and ethics. He added that the aim is to be a true testbed where global technologists can build and scale.

Also Read: Talents remain an issue in AI proliferation, but here are 6 steps that businesses can do to tackle it

“You can have the best strategy, but without the right capacity and talent, you won’t grow,” he said.

2) Government is a live reference customer for AI

Rather than treating AI as a helpline or chatbot veneer, the UAE is embedding it inside transactional workflows:

• Trademark screening: Entrepreneurs can upload a proposed mark and receive an AI similarity check against the national database in ~20 seconds–reducing review cycles and the risk of costly disputes later.
• National economic register: By aggregating registries, the state can surface investment intelligence–e.g., where a hospital is most needed based on bed density and proximity, or which districts have room for more hotel keys–so investors choose locations with real-time demand signals.

The message for startups is to build AI that removes latency from public services and investment decisions. The government will use it if it saves citizens time or de-risks business formation.

3) A bridge between East and West by design

The minister repeatedly returned to a single metaphor: the UAE “builds bridges, not walls.” Practically, that means:

• Open posture to foreign capital and alliances. The country positions itself as a neutral connector for companies, funds, and research consortia from multiple regions.
• Physical connectivity as strategy. Aviation routes and logistics are seen as core to idea flow and deal flow; more flights equal more founders, partners, and capital in the ecosystem.

For Singapore (and SEA-based startups), this translates to an easier on-ramp into Middle Eastern markets and a hub for cross-border pilots.

4) Sustainability is a first-order constraint for AI scale

The minister stressed that AI infrastructure planning cannot ignore energy mix and supply chains. Data centres and model training demand vast, predictable power; the UAE is pushing sustainability targets (including sustainable aviation fuel commitments around COP convenings) and wants partners who can co-design greener AI stacks. Read: if you’re building AI infra or heavy inference services, your energy story matters.

Also Read: Why sustainability will be the biggest competitive advantage for startups in 2025

5) Leadership must become “future-focused” and “solution-focused”

When asked how to prepare leaders for an AI-saturated economy, the minister offered a reframing. Traditional “problem-solving” is commoditised; AI can draft 80-page strategies or propose options in minutes. What differentiates executives now is the ability to:

• Anticipate: see around corners and allocate capital to the next curve.
• Synthesise and decide: choose among AI-generated options, own the why, and move.

That shift from problem-solving to solution orientation is the competency he wants to see across public and private leadership tracks.

6) Jobs: history suggests transformation, not erasure

Pushed on fears that AI will hollow out employment, Al Olama invoked previous industrial revolutions: mechanised farming and factory automation destroyed some roles but created productivity and entirely new categories of work. The task now is to double down on reskilling and move people up the value chain as tools compress grunt work from days to minutes.

7) Deepfakes are here; defence must be built in

The minister addressed circulating scam videos using his likeness to push fraudulent investments: they’re fake, and a warning. He called for detection tech, identity safeguards, and ecosystem-level cybersecurity to protect officials and citizens alike. Startups working on provenance, watermarking, voice/face authentication, and anomaly detection will find a receptive market.

8) What this means for founders and investors (the e27 take)

• GovTech is hot if it saves time. The UAE is actively procuring AI that accelerates licensing, IP, permits, and investment siting. Bring measurable cycle-time or risk-reduction wins.
• Talent mobility is real. With long-term visas and a founder-friendly sandbox, it’s easier to build teams that straddle SEA and the Gulf.
• Infra + energy is a differentiator. If your AI business leans on heavy compute, show energy efficiency, renewables integration, or model-size pragmatism.
• Trust tech is underserved. Deepfake defence, KYC/AML with biometric robustness, and content authenticity are pressing pains with policy tailwinds.

The bottom line

The UAE’s AI strategy is less about splashy declarations and more about operational wins that compound: faster company formation, smarter capital allocation, and a magnet for global builders.

For Singapore and Southeast Asia’s startup community, the signal is clear: if you can deliver AI that augments judgment, compresses time, and respects sustainability and security constraints, the UAE wants you to cross the bridge, and build on it.

The post “Build bridges, not walls”: Inside the UAE’s Operating System for AI at scale appeared first on e27.

At a glance: In a wide-ranging conversation with CNBC TV anchor and moderator Amanda Drury on the first day of the GITEX Global 2025 on Monday, H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama–the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications–outlined how the country is operationalising AI across government, competing globally for talent,
The post “Build bridges, not walls”: Inside the UAE’s Operating System for AI at scale appeared first on e27.  Artificial Intelligence, Global, News, Singapore, Startups, AI, artificial intelligence, GITEX Global, sustainability, The UAE e27