Abu Dhabi AI council puts policy and investment on agenda

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, National Security Adviser and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council, chaired a session on Tuesday that placed the council’s mandate over policy, investment and research at the centre of the agenda. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Vice Chairman of the council, attended.

The meeting took stock of the emirate’s progress towards its stated goal of becoming a global leader in the technology. The council, which acts as Abu Dhabi’s supreme authority for AI and advanced technology projects, investment and research, is responsible for setting policies, strategies and priorities across the emirate.

Its review covered several key priorities. These included the UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi, advances in AI research, the development of specialised talent and open AI models, and the Abu Dhabi government’s drive to become the world’s first fully AI-native administration by 2027.

At the meeting, Sheikh Tahnoon framed the emirate’s ambitions as going beyond merely adopting AI, extending instead to developing the underlying technology and shaping the economy around it. He stressed the importance of directing investment, research and international partnerships towards building a lasting scientific and technological base in the emirate, one that would enable its people and institutions to establish new industries and develop a model of government with AI at its core.

Meanwhile, the council’s oversight role extends into a wider bilateral framework. In July, the UAE and US agreed to create a joint task force to speed up the development of AI tools for military purposes. Task Force Talon Synapse is to be based in Abu Dhabi and will consist of about 20 US and Emirati personnel specialising in AI, data and cybersecurity.

The meeting comes as Abu Dhabi continues to position its institutions at the centre of a fast-moving technological agenda, with the council’s review offering a measure of how far the emirate’s stated priorities have progressed. Further coverage of the session is available at https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/06/abu-dhabis-artificial-intelligence-and-advanced-technology-council-meets-to-review-ai-progress/

For a body whose remit spans policy-setting, investment decisions and research priorities, the session served as both a progress report and a statement of direction, underscoring the council’s role in steering how AI is developed and governed across the emirate. Whether the 2027 target of a fully AI-native administration holds to schedule remains the open question the council will have to answer at its next review.