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UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri urged residents and investors not to believe videos circulating on social media claiming he is advising people to invest in certain shares.
“I think you’ve seen many videos about me investing in some shares and an investment programme. I have never done that in my life. Please be aware that I will never do it. I would never say come and invest in these shares. It’s actually a deepfake,” Al Marri stated during a Q&A session at Gitex Global 2025.
“We need technology that detects deepfakes to protect me, first of all,” he said with a smile. “But overall, to really protect our identity as a human race. That’s an important aspect.
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“I encourage everyone here, and at the UAE Cyber Security Council to really see how to protect our identity in the digital and AI race.”
“Again, anything you see about me; all those videos, it’s not me. It’s a deepfake. I will never, never say invest in X or Y shares,” he reiterated while responding to a question from Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, head of Cybersecurity at the UAE Government.
Deepfake is a form of AI that can be used to create convincing hoax images, sounds, and videos.
There are numerous other deepfake videos of senior government officials circulating online on similar topics, urging people to make deposits in certain accounts or invest in certain companies and sectors. Authorities in the UAE regularly issue advisories against such fake content and posts, urging residents and investors to get information only through official channels.
80% non-oil economy in 5 years
Al Marri added that the world economy is witnessing a “little bit of peace” after the Covid-19 pandemic and wars in the world, but now the challenge of AI race and talent is rising.
“This is not a race with other countries. It’s a race with ourselves.
Our economy, five years ago, was 69 percent non-oil after Covid, and today we are about 77.3 percent non-oil. As we are diversifying, I want non-oil to reach 80 percent in the next five years,” the minister added.
Highlighting the importance of artificial intelligence, Al Marri noted that countries spending budgets on defense and cybersecurity will also need to allocate funds for AI.
“AI is a sovereignty for every single nation. So, the race is not across the street or across countries; it’s a race within us – how infrastructure is built, talent is groomed, strategies are aligned, SMEs are grown,” he said during a fireside chat on the first day of Gitex Global 2025.
He pointed out that the UAE’s launch of 10-year residency visas, the establishment of an AI university, and companies like G42 aim to attract and nurture talent in the country.
He emphasized the need for the best talent “because you might have beautiful ideas, but without the right talent to process them, even technology cannot progress alone. You need people who will actually help the technology to progress.”
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