Attracting talent to the UAE has become significantly easier compared to a few years ago, according to a senior official speaking at Gitex Global on Monday. This improvement is attributed to the country's development of an ecosystem and the introduction of various initiatives, such as long-term residency programs like the Golden Visas and even citizenship for talented individuals.
"There are numerous talented individuals who have been granted Golden Visas, and many have also become citizens of the UAE," said Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ARTC) and advisor to the UAE President. "At ARTC, we have 10 research centers and over 1,300 researchers from 70 countries based in the UAE. When you combine this with other tech companies like G42 and Edge, all of them are contributing to bringing talent to the country," Al Bannai mentioned during a fireside chat on AI Leadership: Steering Societal Transformation at Gitex Global on Monday.
"It wasn't easy to attract talent four or five years ago. Today, it's much simpler due to our established ecosystem and projects that draw in talent," he added. The UAE has implemented several long-term residency initiatives, including 10-year visas and 5-year visas for investors, students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and others, aimed at attracting top talent and capital from around the world. Since its introduction before the pandemic, Dubai has issued a 10-year Golden Visa to thousands of people in the emirate.
Faisal also emphasized that the UAE is transitioning towards a knowledge-based economy. "The UAE is adopting a collaborative approach to work with leading players and invest in future technologies. We are also developing our own technologies that are unique to us and under our control. AI is something we cannot overlook. We aim to be at the forefront when it comes to AI," he stated.
Faisal noted that in the coming years, AI will begin making decisions on basic matters on behalf of people, such as basic planning, network routing, basic hospitality tasks, and appointment scheduling. "There are multiple layers of decision-making that people will start delegating to AI within the next 3 to 5 years," he predicted.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, also discussed various topics including the macroeconomic outlook, the need for talent, and other issues at Gitex Global. He added that their goal is to increase the non-oil share from the current 74 percent to 80 percent by 2030.
