Energy & AI: Abu Dhabi's ENACT Majlis Sets a Practical Agenda for Global Growth
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, convened global leaders in energy, AI, advanced technology, sustainability and investment at the ENACT Majlis, held at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre. Under the theme Energy & AI: Expanding Global Growth, discussions focused on collaboration that drives economic growth, advances sustainable development and supports shared global interests.
This year's Majlis brings together decision-makers from government, major companies and leading academic institutions to surface practical solutions for the next wave of growth across energy, technology and AI. The gathering comes ahead of ADIPEC 2025, signaling priority areas that public and private sectors will likely move on in the months ahead.
Why this matters for government leaders
Energy security, AI adoption and sustainability are converging. Policy, standards and public investment will decide how quickly benefits reach citizens, industry and global partners. The Majlis sets clear intent: move from pilots to systems that scale and deliver measurable outcomes.
Key focus areas highlighted
- AI in energy systems: Grid optimization, demand forecasting and predictive maintenance to reduce costs and increase reliability.
- Data governance and security: Clear protocols for data quality, access and protection across agencies and operators.
- Workforce and capability: Upskilling engineers, analysts and policy teams to apply AI responsibly in critical infrastructure.
- Sustainability metrics: Standardized reporting on emissions, efficiency and resilience to guide investment decisions.
- Public-private collaboration: Aligning incentives and timelines so innovation moves from lab to grid without friction.
Immediate actions for public sector teams
- Set up an inter-agency task force (energy, digital, finance, regulator) with a 12-18 month delivery plan for AI-enabled energy use cases.
- Run 3-5 targeted pilots (e.g., peak load prediction, substation health monitoring) with clear KPIs: cost per MW saved, outage minutes avoided, emissions reduced.
- Update procurement to include AI safety checks, model evaluation criteria and interoperability requirements.
- Launch data-sharing agreements that define ownership, standards and audit trails for cross-entity datasets.
- Create a skills track for technical and policy staff, tied to role-based certifications and hands-on projects.
- Use regulatory sandboxes for AI in critical operations with staged risk controls and independent oversight.
- Adopt a measurement framework that links public spending to grid reliability, citizen impact and climate targets.
Policy signals to watch before ADIPEC 2025
- New MoUs between utilities, AI firms and academia with clear deliverables and timelines.
- Publication of model governance standards for critical infrastructure and safety testing protocols.
- Early pilot results with independent verification and plans for national rollout.
- Financing mechanisms that blend public funds with private capital for grid-scale AI upgrades.
- Regional cooperation on cross-border energy data and interoperability standards.
Building capability: people, process, platforms
Technology adoption rises or falls on execution. Governments that invest in skills, enforce data standards and align incentives will see faster, safer results.
For context on national AI priorities, see the UAE's overview of artificial intelligence initiatives: Artificial Intelligence in the UAE. For role-based learning paths that help public teams move from awareness to delivery, explore Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
Bottom line
ENACT Majlis sets a clear expectation: turn collaboration into outcomes. With ADIPEC 2025 approaching, the opening is now for governments to set standards, fund high-impact pilots and build the talent to run them at scale.
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