The United Arab Emirates is consolidating its ambitions in artificial intelligence and data under a single new government body. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE's ruler and Prime Minister, has approved the establishment of a Federal Authority for Artificial Intelligence and Data, according to Emirates247.
The new authority is designed to bring AI, data governance, and digital government services together under one national framework, rather than letting them develop in separate silos across different ministries and agencies. Omar Sultan Al Olama, who has served as the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, will lead the new body.
The move signals that the UAE is shifting from aspirational AI policy — the country appointed the world's first minister for AI back in 2017 — toward a more structured, centralized execution model. Unifying these functions under a dedicated federal authority gives the government a single point of accountability for how AI is developed, how national data is managed, and how digital public services are delivered.
For a country that has staked significant national prestige and economic strategy on becoming a global AI hub, the creation of a dedicated federal body matters: it suggests the UAE is moving past the announcement phase and building the institutional machinery to turn those ambitions into policy and infrastructure at scale.