Abu Dhabi launches major training programme to teach AI skills

Abu Dhabi has launched AiNative, a major training programme developed by the emirate’s Department of Government Enablement (DGE) in collaboration with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), OpenAI and Microsoft, to teach AI skills to government employees and the wider public. The initiative aims to equip 20,000 government employees with practical AI capabilities by the end of the year and will make free training available to citizens and residents through the Tomouh learning app, accessed via the UAE Pass.

“AI will only create lasting value when people have the knowledge and confidence to use it well,” said Wesam Lootah, director general of GovDigital at the Department of Government Enablement. “AiNative puts that capability at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s AI journey, giving government employees and the wider community practical skills to use AI responsibly in their work and everyday lives.”

Programme design and partners

AiNative’s curriculum is owned by DGE and has been developed with OpenAI, Microsoft and MBZUAI. The initial phase includes an internal government pilot that has already started, followed by public rollout. Training for citizens and residents will be delivered through the free version of ChatGPT and via the Tomouh app, covering everyday applications such as managing personal finances, running a small business, job seeking, studying, and responsible online content creation. Access to Tomouh is provided through the UAE Pass government authentication app.

• Target: 20,000 government employees trained by year-end.
• Tools highlighted: ChatGPT, Codex and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Previous rollout: Microsoft 365 Copilot was deployed to 35,000 Abu Dhabi government employees under the Frontier Employee Programme in July.
• Curriculum ownership: Department of Government Enablement (DGE); partners: OpenAI, Microsoft, MBZUAI.

Eric Xing, president and professor at MBZUAI, stressed the importance of broad access to AI and lifelong learning. “Championing a culture of lifelong learning ensures that the benefits of new technologies are understood and realised responsibly by all,” he said. “Through AiNative, people can gain practical knowledge alongside the judgment to apply AI thoughtfully in a way that it becomes a partner for progress.”

AiNative plans to introduce specialised, function-specific certifications in later stages, including areas such as coding and data, to deepen technical skills among government staff. The programme forms a cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s wider ambition to become the world’s first AI-native government by 2027 and complements earlier digital initiatives led by DGE.

Outlook and wider strategy

The AiNative launch aligns with Abu Dhabi’s Digital Strategy 2025-2027, which allocates Dh13 billion (about $3.5 billion) to digital infrastructure, automating government processes and integrating sovereign cloud computing. The wider strategy is projected to contribute more than Dh24 billion to the emirate’s economy by 2027 and create over 5,000 jobs to support Emiratisation efforts.

Officials describe AiNative as a building block for an “AI-enabled society and government” by combining government, industry and academia. The phased rollout — moving from an internal pilot to public access — seeks to ensure training quality while scaling practical AI skills across the workforce and the public, positioning Abu Dhabi to operationalise AI tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and OpenAI technologies in day-to-day government and civic life.