The UAE, through its Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, has teamed up with Google to launch a landmark programme called “AI for All”. This nationwide initiative is designed to give people of all ages and professional backgrounds in the UAE access to foundational artificial-intelligence (AI) skills.
What the programme covers
- Free educational workshops and modules on the fundamentals of AI: how it works, what generative AI can do, and how to use it safely and responsibly.
- Special tracks for students (university level and below), professionals (employees, content creators), and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) to show how they can adopt AI tools to improve productivity, creativity, and operations.
- A campaign across 2026 to build awareness and literacy in AI among the wider population in the UAE so it’s not just tech professionals but everyday residents who are equipped.
Why this matters
- Generative AI is projected to add up to AED 298 billion to the UAE’s economy — highlighting the stakes involved in building a skilled population.
- By making AI training accessible to a wide audience, the UAE boosts its goal of becoming a global hub for innovation, digital economy and advanced technologies.
- For businesses, professionals, creators and learners alike, this opens doors: knowing how to work with AI (for example prompt-writing, generative tools, data literacy) becomes a competitive advantage.
What’s next
- The training programmes will roll out throughout 2026, with modules for students, professionals, and SMEs.
- Universities in the UAE have also been offered free access to Google’s advanced AI model (Gemini 2.5) for 12 months as part of this initiative to enable immersive learning.
- The initiative also ties into Google’s wider MENA (Middle East & North Africa) “AI Opportunity Initiative” which aims to deliver AI skills, research funding and access to AI tools across the region by 2027.