Leaders

When artificial intelligence starts moving from demos to deployment, the hardest work is rarely the model. It is alignment. Who gets access. Who sets guardrails. And who translates policy into practice. In Dubai, Gowri Shankar Sivabala has focused his energy on the connective tissue that makes adoption possible: a community designed to bring AI talent, founders, and policymakers into the same room, with shared language and shared responsibility.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama was appointed as the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in October 2017. In July 2020, he was also appointed as the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications. His responsibilities include enhancing the government performance levels by investing in the latest technologies and tools of artificial intelligence and applying them in various sectors.

His Excellency Prof. Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi is currently the President of the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), at the rank of minister, and serves as chairman or member of several boards and committees.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan serves as chairman of G42, an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company founded in 2018, a position he has held since 2021. Under his leadership, G42 has expanded from a regional entity into a global leader in AI infrastructure, including supercomputing capabilities and machine learning research, with over 25,000 employees by 2024.