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UAE Launches Region's First AI Academy for Chief AI Officers to Guide Enterprise Strategy and Governance
The UAE's new AI Academy equips CAIOs and senior leaders to run AI at enterprise scale. Expect applied frameworks, hands-on tools, and governance for measurable ROI.
What the UAE's New AI Academy Teaches Senior Execs
The UAE has launched an executive AI programme built for the C-suite. Its purpose is simple: give leaders the strategic, operational and ethical fluency to run AI at enterprise scale. Without that fluency, adoption slows, risk rises and value gets left on the table.
This programme targets the growing cadre of Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) and senior executives responsible for AI strategy, governance and ROI. It addresses a practical gap: most leaders don't need to code, but they do need to direct AI decisions with confidence.
The programme at a glance
Built by Abu Dhabi School of Management and Polynome Group's AI Academy, the initiative offers multilingual, short-format courses and a dedicated Chief AI Officer Programme. The two-week format starts in early November 2025 and is geared to CTOs, CAIOs and digital transformation leaders across public and private sectors.
It's timely. Seventy percent of organisations in the Middle East plan to increase AI investment, yet many lack leadership prepared for enterprise-wide deployment, risk control and measurable outcomes.
What you'll learn
The curriculum spans 10 modules focused on how to run AI in production-across technology, operations and governance. Expect applied frameworks, not theory.
- System architecture for enterprise AI
- Deployment strategies across data centre and edge
- Governance structures and oversight
- Operational best practices
- Compliance and policy guardrails
The goal: move AI ownership out of a siloed IT function and into core business leadership-where value, risk and accountability live.
Built with enterprise-grade tech
A partnership with Nvidia brings exposure to the same infrastructure and tooling used to run large-scale models in production. Executives get hands-on with enterprise systems, not slideware.
See Nvidia's enterprise AI stack
Alexander Khanin, Founder of Polynome Group, states the programme was designed by leaders who have implemented AI at scale. Participants leave with execution-ready strategies, access to enterprise tools and a peer network of global AI leaders.
Academic and industry faculty
Instruction blends top-tier academia-Oxford University, ETH Zurich, Carnegie Mellon University, Khalifa University and MBZUAI-with senior operators from Nvidia, AMD, e&, G42 and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mix closes the gap between classroom theory and the day-to-day reality of deploying AI across complex organisations.
National context and ROI
The initiative supports the UAE's AI Strategy 2031, which estimates artificial intelligence could add over US$96bn to national GDP by 2031. Federal bodies and Dubai government agencies have begun appointing Chief AI Officers, reflecting the role's importance in public services and enterprise strategy.
Learn more about the UAE's AI Strategy
Who should apply
- Current or incoming CAIOs accountable for AI strategy and governance
- CTOs and digital transformation leaders moving AI from pilots to platform
- Public-sector executives tasked with AI policy, compliance and service delivery
What graduates gain
- Execution-ready strategies for enterprise-scale AI
- Direct exposure to real-world systems and tools
- An executive peer network across the Middle East and beyond
- An ethical foundation and governance literacy for responsible adoption
Your next step
If you're accountable for AI performance, risk and value creation, this programme gives you the structure and skills to lead with clarity. For broader upskilling options by role, explore curated executive learning paths here: