United Arab Emirates

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Long-haul carrier Emirates opens Dubai Air Show with $52 billion aircraft purchase from Boeing

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Long-haul carrier Emirates opened the Dubai Air Show on Monday with a $52 billion purchase of Boeing Co. aircraft, showing how aviation has bounced back after the groundings of the coronavirus pandemic, even as Israel’s war with Hamas clouds regional security.

https://apnews.com/article/dubai-air-show-israel-hamas-russia-ukraine-d2ca068f0c88592c60eb9f11737baa46?

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Diamond heist

A gang of thieves concocted an elaborate scheme to steal a rare $25 million pink jewel in Dubai, but police recovered it just a few hours later. The suspects posed as wealthy dealers by renting luxury cars and holding meetings in high-end hotels.

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🇦🇪 UAE's big bet on AI

Images from the TAMM app, which translates as: "Consider it done." Courtesy Government of Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, AI is as much a part of daily life as reporting a pothole or making a doctor's appointment or paying a parking ticket — because AI does all that for you. The capital of one of the world's wealthiest and most globalized business hubs has near-universal adoption of an app that knows when you need to renew your national ID or health insurance or vehicle registration. The app's "AutoGov" feature goes a step further: It handles the paperwork and pays what's owed without being asked. Why it matters: The UAE made a massive bet on AI, spending billions on infrastructure and research, backed by long-term thinking and alignment from top leaders. Before the war with Iran, the bet was paying off massively. "People make money here and bring money here," a UAE resident told Jim VandeHei and me when we visited just before the war. The war rattled the UAE's AI ambitions and stirred fears about visiting, given the constant threat of Iranian attack. UAE leaders tell us they remain all-in on AI: They're willing to work with both the U.S. and China, and see the technology as the key to their future beyond oil. 🖼️ The big picture: Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE's longtime ambassador to Washington, told me his country "recognized early that data is destiny — and our leaders didn't wait for AI to arrive before preparing for it." The UAE appointed an AI minister (said to be the world's first) nearly a decade ago, in 2017. Two years later, it opened what's billed as the world's first graduate-level university dedicated to AI. The UAE was built on oil. But leaders aggressively diversified into what The New York Times recently called "the ultimate globalized city — a Switzerland on the Persian Gulf." Dubai, the UAE's biggest city, is rollicking, wealthy and Western-friendly. It's one of the world's top business hubs and is home to the world's tallest building and the world's busiest international airport. That prosperity is being tested by war. But business leaders tell us AI investments have kept the UAE powerful amid the danger and disruption plaguing the Persian Gulf. Last night, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is rewarding the UAE for its help with the Iran war by expanding access to coveted AI chips, capping "a yearslong push by the Gulf state to obtain American technology to diversify its economy." 🥊 Reality check: This is as much opportunism as strategic vision. The UAE has an all-powerful royal family that controls government and business, allowing wholesale societal changes that couldn't be replicated in a democracy. Zoom in: His Excellency Mohamed Al Askar, director general of TAMM, as the app is called, took me behind the scenes of Abu Dhabi's "AI-native government" in two lengthy interviews. He and the emirate's Department of Government Enablement host a parade of ministers from other governments who dream of replicating TAMM. "If you look at the UAE as a whole, this is rooted in our leadership vision," said Al Askar, a leader in digital strategy and technological innovation. "This has become part of our DNA," he added. "This is why I believe the UAE can be a haven for any entrepreneur who wants to test and experiment with AI." Read the UAE strategy ...