Dubai: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, engaged with hundreds of government employees participating in the inaugural cohort of the '1 Million AI Talents in the UAE' initiative during Dubai AI Week 2025, organised under his patronage from 21st to 25th April 2025.
According to Emirates News Agency, the '1 Million Talents in AI in the UAE' initiative is a nationwide programme launched by the UAE Government in collaboration with Microsoft. It aims to equip government teams with AI skills by 2027, demonstrating the UAE's commitment to building a skilled national workforce, accelerating AI adoption across sectors, and enhancing the country's competitiveness in AI. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan highlighted the initiative as a national effort to prepare the workforce for the future, emphasising the nation's focus on investing in talent as a means to secure the future and address future challenges with foresight and vision.
The meeting saw attendance from key figures, including H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, and other senior officials. The initiative is part of a strategic partnership with Microsoft, announced during a meeting with Brad Smith, Vice Chairman and President of Microsoft, in the UAE Government's Annual Meetings 2024. It aims to advance AI innovation, foster collaboration, and develop a future-ready economic model.
The initiative is being implemented across the UAE's government sector, offering specialised training content to develop government employees' skills, tailored to their specific roles and experience levels. Over 50 government entities participated in the launch session, underscoring the government's commitment to enhancing the workforce's competencies, promoting continuous learning, and supporting a competitive knowledge-based economy.
Participants are empowered through four training tracks: 'AI for Everyone,' 'AI Academy,' 'AI for Champions,' and 'AI for Leaders.' These tracks, available both in-person and virtually, provide cutting-edge solutions to fully harness AI potential in decision-making and goal achievement, strengthening the UAE's leadership and global competitiveness in AI.
Dubai AI Week 2025 is organised by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation. The event attracts global experts, policymakers, innovators, and industry leaders from leading AI organisations. Key events include the AI Retreat, Dubai Assembly for AI, Global Prompt Engineering Championship, Dubai AI Festival, Machines Can See summit, AI Week in Schools, AI Innovations Conference, HIMSS Executive Summit Dubai, and Hackathon: Agentic AI.