UAE targets transition of half of federal services to Agentic AI

The landscape of artificial intelligence is shifting from conversational tools to ‘Agentic AI’—systems capable of planning, executing tasks, and making operational decisions rather than just providing information.

The United Arab Emirates has set a target to convert at least half of its federal government services and operations into agentic AI models within two years. This initiative includes training 80,000 federal employees. In September, the government launched an AI advisor system for the Cabinet, utilizing 32 specialized assistants to analyze policies, legislation, and strategies.

Unlike traditional automation that follows rigid ‘if-then’ rules, AI agents use large language models to understand context, use external tools like browsers or APIs, and follow a cycle of perception, planning, execution, and review. This evolution introduces the concept of ‘decision security,’ emphasizing the need for clear thresholds where autonomous systems must hand control back to human operators to ensure accountability and proper verification.