UAE Accelerates AI Strategy With Execution-First Moves, Says Mubadala Group CEO H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak
Abu Dhabi is moving fast on artificial intelligence. In a closing session at the 7th Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit, H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company, made the case for AI enablement at national scale-and the economic impact that follows.
"The key is about AI enablement. Building the infrastructure and partnerships, investing in this space is important, but the next point is the enablement of the entire population - a smooth, population-wide transition to using the latest technologies and digital services," he said.
From vision to operations
UAE policy set the pace early. In 2017, the UAE appointed the first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, and in 2019 launched the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).
- A national AI champion emerged: G42, alongside a dedicated investment platform, MGX Fund Management Limited (MGX).
- In May 2025, the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership was announced to deepen work on AI infrastructure, data centers, and responsible deployment-targeting the largest AI infrastructure project outside the US in Abu Dhabi.
- Foundations for an entire city block tied to this project were put in place within six months of the agreement.
- The U.S. Department of Commerce approved the export of advanced AI chips to the UAE, covering up to 35,000 units-signaling deepening cooperation and an execution mindset.
Al Mubarak pointed to a practical proof point: the country's shift from human-to-human government services to fully digital, app-based interactions. From identification to health records to school grades, services are now in citizens' pockets. "Our work in this area is not aspirational anymore, but operational," he said.
Why this matters for executives
- AI is moving from pilots to production. Countries and companies that execute will set the standard for cost, speed, and service quality.
- Infrastructure is strategy. Compute, data center access, and chip supply are now board-level concerns-not just IT.
- Population enablement is the multiplier. Training people to use AI tools at work and in daily services compounds returns on infrastructure spend.
- Partnerships compress timelines. Cross-border agreements and public-private models accelerate delivery and de-risk scale.
Inside Mubadala's AI-native investing
Mubadala has embedded AI into its investment process. Since 2025, an "AI member" serves on the investment committee as a consultative co-pilot to support due diligence, analysis, and decision-making.
The firm built MAIA, a proprietary AI-enabled platform for investment intelligence and operational efficiency. The committee also uses digital twins that mirror the thinking of its members, plus a contrarian AI agent to pressure-test consensus.
- Add an AI co-pilot to your investment or capital allocation committee to standardize analysis and speed reviews.
- Create a digital twin of your decision framework to simulate scenarios and expose blind spots.
- Institutionalize a contrarian agent that challenges assumptions and quantifies risk on outlier outcomes.
- Track uplift: decision time, hit rate, drawdown avoidance, and post-mortems linked to AI input.
Executive action checklist (next 90 days)
- Map your AI dependencies: compute, data access, and model choices; set thresholds for latency, cost per inference, and data residency.
- Stand up an enablement program for managers and frontline teams. Tie training to live workflows and measurable KPIs.
- Convert one high-volume process into an "operational pilot" with clear P&L impact (e.g., claims processing, KYC, forecasting).
- Establish governance: model approvals, data controls, incident response, and third-party risk.
- Build capability pipelines with universities such as MBZUAI and industry partners like the Milken Institute network.
- For workforce scaling and role-based learning paths, explore curated programs at Complete AI Training.
The takeaway
Speed plus enablement defines the UAE's AI approach: secure chips and infrastructure, move services online, train people, and operationalize fast. As Al Mubarak noted, this is about execution-decisions made early, partnerships that deliver, and measurable economic outcomes.
Your membership also unlocks:
