Page 411 - MOET ENGLISH PR REPORT - OCTOBER 2025 (Part 2)

10/14/25, 8:50 AM AI is national sovereignty like defence or cybersecurity, says UAE minister at Gitex

“AI is a state of sovereignty. Like you spend budgets on defence, on cyber, you have to spend budget on AI. AI
is a sovereignty for every single nation,” he said at Gitex Global.

The remark from Al Marri mirrors how the UAE views AI as a core part of national policy, not a technology

experiment. It has already woven AI into its diversification strategy, public services, and legal frameworks as
part of efforts to build a non-oil economy.

GITEX Global 2025: Dubai's AI-driven future unveiled with global tech giants

Non-oil economy at center of AI growth

Non-oil sectors now make up 77.3 per cent of the UAE’s economy, compared with 69 per cent five years ago,
according to official data. “Our economy, like you said five years ago, was 69 per cent non-oil. When we started

after Covid, today we are about 77.3 per cent non-oil,” Al Marri said. The government’s target is to reach 80 per
cent within five years.

Growth in finance, manufacturing, and technology has supported that shift. The IMF expects non-oil GDP to

expand by about 4.5 per cent this year, led by trade, logistics, and investment flows. Al Marri said much of the
current progress has been driven by digital infrastructure, with AI becoming a key component of productivity.

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