Abu Dhabi is moving from handing out AI tools to teaching people how to use them. The emirate’s Department of Government Enablement (DGE) has launched AiNative, a training programme meant to give 20,000 public-sector employees practical AI skills by the end of 2026. It was announced on 7 October at the Ai Everything Abu Dhabi event.
What AiNative covers
The course was developed with OpenAI, Microsoft and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). DGE owns the curriculum. OpenAI supplies learning material, Microsoft supports Copilot training, and MBZUAI helps build personalised learning sessions. The core content teaches ChatGPT, Codex and Microsoft 365 Copilot, and a separate track is aimed at senior officials. Specialised modules are planned for tax, procurement, legal and finance staff.
Training is tied to the job. Human-resources teams, for example, learn how AI can help with workforce planning, while lawyers look at uses such as drafting contracts. Later phases will add certifications for coding and data roles, and teach staff how to pick the right tool and follow government security rules.
Handling data safely
A key part of the course is knowing what may go into an AI system. Employees learn which kinds of government information can be entered freely, which need restrictions and which must never be shared. This follows a July rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot that reached 26,000 civil servants across 27 entities. Added to 9,000 existing licences, that brings the total to 35,000. DGE says every licence uses Microsoft’s advanced data residency option, which it says keeps AI processing inside the UAE.
Opening up to residents
AiNative will eventually reach beyond government. Citizens and residents will be able to take courses through Tomouh, DGE’s learning app, signing in with UAE Pass. Topics include managing personal finances, searching for jobs, studying and running a small business. DGE has said access will arrive in phases but has not given a date.
Part of a larger plan
The programme sits within Abu Dhabi’s AED 13 billion (about $3.5 billion) Digital Strategy 2025–2027. That strategy aims to automate government processes, launch more than 200 AI-powered solutions and expand sovereign cloud infrastructure. DGE is also building an AI Factory capability and plans more than 1,000 AI agents for tasks such as document processing, answering public enquiries and policy analysis. In February 2026 it reported over 100 live AI use cases and more than 200 others in development or planned.
The officials quoted say AI only creates lasting value when people have the confidence to use it well. One DGE director said he already relies on AI agents to complete a large share of the first draft of reports and presentations, which he then reviews himself.
Targets to watch
DGE’s official goal is 20,000 trained employees by the end of 2026. A DGE director separately told local press the aim is about 23,000 by early 2027. Abu Dhabi also reported in 2025 that most of its 30,000-plus staff had completed earlier AI training, so AiNative is meant to go deeper rather than start from zero.
Source: reporting by AI News (artificialintelligence-news.com), 8 October 2026, citing DGE’s announcement and Khaleej Times.