An Emirati AI expert has warned employees across the UAE that those who wait to learn AI skills may soon fall behind. Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, a PhD researcher in AI at the University of Manchester and co-founder of Abu Dhabi-based AI Diverge, said AI has moved from a nice-to-have skill to a workplace requirement in nearly every field.
His comment comes at a time when the UAE is pushing hard on its national AI plans. The government wants half of all federal services run on Agentic AI within two years. A new training programme aims to teach Agentic AI skills to 80,000 government staff to help reach that goal.
Al Shamsi said AI now touches almost every job, though the level of impact differs by role. Office staff can use it to write documents, study reports, handle routine tasks, and support choices they need to make. Technical workers are folding AI into their regular workflows. Even staff who work on-site or in the field may see more AI use soon, as robots and automated tools improve.
Al Shamsi, however, was clear that AI should support workers, not take their jobs. He asked employees to protect data privacy, check AI output for mistakes, follow their company's AI rules, and avoid leaning on the tools too much. Final decisions, he said, still need a human mind behind them.
He told workers to start learning AI through daily practice rather than waiting for a formal course. As AI use grows across the UAE, he said those who build these skills early and keep adapting will have the biggest edge at work.