As countries like the United Arab Emirates increasingly delegate decision-making to algorithms, often with little transparency, the risks are no longer hypothetical. Evidence shows these systems can cause widespread harm, erode democratic accountability, and concentrate power in the hands of tech titans.
PARIS/LJUBLJANA—Earlier this month, the United Arab Emirates announced a plan to have half of its government services run on agentic AI within the next two years. Under the scheme, AI is supposed to serve as an “executive partner” that “analyzes, decides, executes, and improves in real time” without human intervention. Having spent our careers at the intersection of entrepreneurship, research, and digital policy, we can confidently pronounce this plan reckless. And because the UAE presents itself as a global digital model, other governments will feel pressure to follow suit.
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