AI agents are playing a bigger part in the UAE’s plans for faster public services, smoother business processes and smarter energy systems. Unlike basic chatbots, these tools can follow steps, use approved software, check records, and help finish tasks. In April 2026, the UAE set a goal to transform 50% of government sectors, operations, and services through agentic AI within two years.
The UAE government launched a procurement agent in May 2026 as part of its first group of four. It helps teams manage purchase requests, review requirements, and organize procurement tasks. Say a department needs new computers: the agent can gather product details, check supplier records, and prepare documents for staff to review. A human officer still approves the final purchase.
The tax auditing agent helps officials review financial records and catch potential errors. It can check data, flag unusual entries, and organize evidence for further review. If an auditor has a huge set of tax records to examine, the agent can point out figures that don’t match and draft a report. Officials still weigh the facts and make the decisions.
This agent supports government service teams and helps staff answer questions from the public. It can find the relevant service rules, explain which documents are needed, and draft clear replies. If a resident asks what papers a public service requires, the agent can pull up the official guidance so staff can give an accurate answer. The aim is to cut delays and improve the experience.
The technical support agent helps government IT teams fix system problems. It can collect error details, check approved repair steps, and suggest a fix. When an employee can’t get into a digital service, the agent can review the reported issue and walk the support team through basic checks. Staff approve any action that touches important systems, and common problems should get resolved faster.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) reported more than 115 AI agents across human resources, finance, procurement and auditing. They handle routine office tasks and help employees review business data. A finance agent, for instance, can collect records, flag unusual figures and prepare a report for approval. ADNOC also announced ENERGYai, a platform built to connect AI agents across the energy value chain.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) plans to use agentic AI across its digital services, staff tools, quality checks and software testing. A testing agent can check that a digital service works as expected and report errors to developers, while a service agent could help staff handle customer requests. These tools can raise service quality, but each task still needs clear rules and suitable checks.
Emirates NBD launched its AI Travel Assistant in October 2026 with Visa and Tripadvisor. It uses a customer’s travel preferences and destination details to build personal trip plans. A customer can give a budget, pick a destination and list the activities they like, and the tool suggests places to visit and shows relevant card benefits. It’s a good example of an assistant pulling together information from several sources to meet one goal.
Abu Dhabi wants to expand AI across public services through its AI Factory initiative, with a target of more than 1,000 agents across the public sector. These tools may help with document checks, service requests and internal office work. The TAMM platform already gives users access to more than 1,150 public and private services, but that doesn’t mean every one of them runs through an autonomous AI agent.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has outlined plans to bring AI into its work and public services. One possible use is an agent that checks whether an application has all the required details and sends incomplete ones back for correction. It could also point applicants to their next step. Any such tool has to follow official rules, protect personal records and pass complex cases to authorised officers.
AI agents can also help UAE companies with everyday finance and HR work. A leave request agent could check company rules, review available records and prepare a request for a manager, while a finance agent could gather invoices and flag missing details. ADNOC’s reported use of agents in HR and finance supports this wider business case, though the leave request example is only an illustration.
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The UAE’s AI plans are about real tasks, not just automated chat. Government agencies and companies can use agents to save staff time, catch errors and speed up service. Success still depends on clear rules, safe access to data, human approval for sensitive decisions and proof that results actually improve. An agent’s real value lies in completing a useful task with care, accuracy and accountability.