The United Arab Emirates is home to several cutting-edge AI initiatives, with Dubai already using the tech to power a smart police station and part of its healthcare system.

With the Emirate’s AI sector projected to make up 20% of the country’s GDP over the next decade, Dubai is rapidly becoming a global artificial intelligence hub. Now, forward-thinking government officials from the Dubai Digital project have launched a new AI-powered “digital concierge” system offering residents and visitors a wide range of services and information.

The AI-powered interactive concierge will be continuously updated with data from official sources. Acting as a personal digital assistant for users, queries can be answered in real-time, with a personalized, interactive dialogue presenting accurate results.

Users of the new platform can field questions about 15 sectors, including tourism, healthcare, entertainment, education, and aviation. Although functionally similar to tools like ChatGPT, Dubai AI is specifically trained to provide detailed information about the city.

During Wednesday’s Dubai Assembly for Generative AI, the Chief Executive of the Digital Dubai Government Establishment, Matar Al Hemeiri, described the new platform as a “unified, seamless channel” and shared plans to expand the service across the public and private sectors.

Meanwhile, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, called for innovation to harmonize emerging technologies with government policy at a time when AI business opportunities are said to be worth nearly $4.5 trillion.

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“Regulation is extremely important. We need to understand how we can regulate something as big as generative AI. But we need to get started now and look at the challenges and understand the risks,” Belhoul noted.

The CEO of Dubai’s Future Foundation was also keen to explain that developing AI and maximizing its potential could result in GCC countries enjoying over $23 billion in related economic benefits by 2030.