Dubai has broadened its horizons and is no longer just the oil mecca. The advance of new technologies has made Dubai a new technological enclave where innovations have led to different ways of growing, based on an open mindset willing to embrace constant change and leave behind old patterns.
Currently, the city has 88% of emerging companies based on new technologies, having a strong impact across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which translates to about 1,100 companies. This landscape became clearer at Gitex, the technology fair that has already held 44 editions and recently took place in this destination.
Dubai is paving its way beyond traditions.
During the mentioned event, held at the World Trade Center in Dubai, artificial intelligence was the main focus of discussion. Its application to everyday life and the regulation of its use were topics of debate within the meeting. Although there is no legal framework for this, the authorities of the emirate are open to new possibilities and companies that become leaders in technology within this territory.
In this important path, the rulers of Dubai have stopped looking at oil as their main source and have focused their goals on something bigger: becoming the global center for research and development. The numbers support this motion and, according to the latest statistics, foreign investment in startups increased by 35% compared to 2023.
The importance of AI in Dubai
The development of artificial intelligence and its influence on economies is so significant that in Dubai, they created the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence in 2017, led by H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama. Although this seemed like a rarity, those who promoted it saw AI as a way to set aside old modalities and transform them into something superior, a new mode of investment that currently has great influence.
The success case within this business model is Careem, known as the Uber of the United Arab Emirates. This startup began as a competitor to this transportation system, although now they are partners, and the platform has turned into an “everything app” capable of benefiting its users not only with transportation methods but also with their shopping and other essential services.
The importance of AI in Dubai’s flourishing economy.
Emirates Airline, regarded as one of the best in the world, also applies advanced technology and stands as a clear example of how it can be tailored to serve the user. The Innovation Majlis, opened in 2023 at Emirates Group, was also created to test new modes of aviation for customers, thanks to the joint work of universities and NGOs.
This revamped space will offer visitors the possibility of using AI glasses to enhance customer comfort in augmented reality spaces and 3D holograms that utilize generative AI to create a “more personal” type of communication with clients. This site was born as a platform for the company that focuses on research and development, aiming to drive the future of the aviation industry, create new challenges for employees, and improve user experience with the aforementioned tools. A space that demonstrates how Dubai and the rest of the territory are betting on the future, without looking nostalgically at the past.
