The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided not to let artificial intelligence (AI) make important decisions about people’s jobs and earnings. This rule is to make sure that human lives are valued beyond any dollar amount. The UAE AI policy aims to keep people in control of such crucial matters.
Key facts
- Omar Sultan Al Olama is the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.
- AI agents are planned to handle 50% of federal services in the next two years.
- Services with a high error risk will not use AI.
- The country focuses on reskilling workers for AI changes.
- An “agent control tower” will monitor AI agents’ actions.
What happened at the AI discussion?
At the World Economic Forum in Dubai on 14 October 2026, Omar Sultan Al Olama spoke about the UAE’s AI policy. He stated that AI won’t be used for decisions affecting people’s jobs and income. The focus is to ensure AI doesn’t replace crucial human roles but helps in safer areas like renewing passports.
The UAE government has mapped services and decided that AI can safely be involved in 70% of them. These are mostly tasks with low risk of mistakes. However, for the other 30%, where high standards are needed, AI won’t be used. An “agent control tower” is set up to track every AI action, making sure they operate within safe limits.
What this actually means
The UAE AI policy means artificial intelligence will not be given the job of making big decisions about people’s lives, like hiring or firing people from jobs. AI can be very helpful in making things faster and easier but must be watched carefully to make sure it doesn’t make mistakes that affect people in a bad way.
AI or artificial intelligence is a kind of technology that helps machines learn from information so they can do tasks that usually need human brains, like making choices or solving problems. In the UAE, experts teach people new skills so they can work alongside AI or use it in their jobs safely.
Words to know
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Technology that allows machines to do tasks that require human intelligence.
- Livelihood – A way to earn money for living, like a job.
- Reskilling – Learning new skills to do a different job or adapt to changes.
Questions kids ask
Why can’t AI decide everything?
AI shouldn’t decide everything because it might not understand human feelings and values. Some decisions, like jobs or money, are very important and need human judgment.
Why is AI being used in the first place?
AI helps with tasks that can be repetitive or take a long time, like renewing a passport. It’s fast and can work 24/7 without getting tired, making processes more efficient.
What happens if AI makes a mistake?
If AI makes a mistake, it can be caught by humans or other AIs monitoring it. That’s why AI in important areas is carefully checked and limited to low-risk tasks.
You can read the original article here.
Original article by Waheed Abbas, published by Khaleej Times.