Starting from the next academic year, the UAE will make AI a compulsory school subject for students of grades 1-12, although in fact, the training in the new technology will start from kindergarten.
The course will include ethical aspects, basic concepts, and practical applications of artificial intelligence, according to the state news agency WAM (via Bloomberg).
The UAE is not the first country to integrate AI into school education. Last month, China announced a similar decision for primary and secondary school students.
It should be noted that the Emirates is a rather active player in the industry. Back in 2017, the country appointed the world’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence, and a few days before that, it presented the National AI Development Strategy and is preparing to become the first country to will use AI to write laws.
The UAE is also actively investing in data centers for training AI models and has created an investment fund that, according to preliminary estimates, could grow to $100 billion in the coming years. Earlier, the country announced plans to spend $1.4 trillion over the next decade on energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and manufacturing in the United States.
OpenAI chairman Sam Altman stated that the UAE could become a «regulatory sandbox» for testing artificial intelligence technologies and lead the development of global rules for their use. Meanwhile, the United States is considering easing restrictions on the sale of Nvidia chips to the Emirates, which may happen as soon as President Donald Trump’s visit to the country in May.
According to UAE estimates, by 2030, the global market value of artificial intelligence will be $15.7 trillion, which will increase the country’s GDP by 35% and cut government spending by half.
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