"A Minister of Artificial Intelligence who is the age of my son, appointed to regulate a hypothetical technology, proves to me that your government has too much time and resources on its hands." Those were the words of a senior government official during a bilateral meeting in 2017, soon after I was appointed as the world's first Minister for Artificial Intelligence. Upon hearing that remark, I distinctly recall feeling a pang of indignation by their equating youth with incompetence, but even more so by their clear disregard and trivialization of AI. Six years into my role of leading the UAE's strategy to become the most prepared country for AI, the past year has been an exhilarating sprint of unprecedented AI advancements. It is now undeniable that AI is no longer a hypothetical technology, but one that warrants far more government time and resources across the globe.

Dubai aims to become a hot bed for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. The city has invested billions of dollars to realise those ambitions. Over the years, the Gulf metropolis has unveiled a string of programmes to attract startups and established companies to set up shop in the city. On paper, those initiatives have born fruit. Capital is flowing into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in general and into Dubai in particular.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to save the UAE billions of dirhams - and could help save lives - when it becomes fully integrated by the government. That was the message from Omar Sultan Al Olama, minister of state for Artificial Intelligence, who was speaking at the launch of the UAE's first-ever AI summer camp, which is taking place in Dubai over the next two months. For some people artificial intelligence is the domain of clichéd science-fiction novels and movies with computers becoming self-aware and overthrowing humanity, but that could not be further from the case, said Mr Olama who said that AI will become a force for good that eventually improves lives across the whole world. More than 2,200 students have registered for the summer camp, which Mr Al Olama believes will help educate the next generation to transform all sectors of life here in the UAE. One area in which Mr Al Olama believes it will show immediate benefits for the government is in efficiency.