Artificial intelligence is considered “the new oil” for the UAE, as stated by Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, the Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government. He detailed the nation’s strategic approach to leveraging AI’s transformative capabilities across various sectors.
During ‘The New Cyber Order: Cooperation Amid Turbulence’ at the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity Meetings, Al Kuwaiti emphasized AI’s pivotal role in the UAE’s future.
“AI acts as a new oil across many of our sectors,” Al Kuwaiti noted. “It can significantly alter our interaction with technology, extending beyond mere convenience for humanity.”
Stay informed with the latest updates. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Enhancing Lives with AI
Al Kuwaiti spotlighted AI’s profound effects on individuals with special needs, illustrating its applications that go beyond convenience to life-altering impacts.
He described AI’s role in improving abilities such as hearing, seeing, and mobility, especially within healthcare.
In cybersecurity, Al Kuwaiti highlighted the symbiotic relationship between AI and digital defense. “AI is central to our cybersecurity efforts. We often say AI for cyber or cyber for AI,” he explained.
Five Pillars of the UAE’s National Strategy
Al Kuwaiti outlined the UAE’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, structured around five core pillars designed to optimize AI’s advantages while ensuring ethical use.
The first pillar is partnership, followed by developing technology for human benefit. The third pillar encourages innovation, pushing beyond traditional systems to creatively apply AI.
The fourth pillar focuses on ethical protection and defense. The fifth pillar involves governance, covering policies, legal frameworks, and guidelines. “We must govern AI use effectively,” Al Kuwaiti stated.
Fostering a Cybersecurity Culture
Regarding citizen preparedness against cyber threats, Al Kuwaiti described this as “the essence of our efforts,” introducing the UAE’s Cyber Pulse initiative.
This initiative adopts a nationwide approach, engaging sectors like education, healthcare, and social development to cultivate a widespread cybersecurity culture.
Education from the Ground Up
The UAE integrates cybersecurity and AI ethics into education from the earliest levels. A new AI curriculum includes comprehensive content on cybersecurity, safety, and ethics.
Cybersecurity awareness starts from KG1, teaching young children safe device usage early on. “It’s truly a cultural aspect,” Al Kuwaiti remarked.
Community-Driven Awareness
The Cyber Pulse initiative extends beyond formal education, involving the community in sharing awareness techniques based on real experiences, from school bullying to scams.
It features the ’30 by 30 by 30 programme’, where 30 leaders share 30-second messages.
During Cyber Month, the UAE conducts campaigns with messages from all age groups to spread cybersecurity awareness.
“As we adopt these technologies and face AI challenges, cybersecurity must be ingrained in our DNA,” Al Kuwaiti stressed.
Global Collaboration
The UAE has hosted some of the world’s largest cybersecurity drills, showcasing its dedication to international cooperation.
A national exercise brought together various sectors to simulate a cyber attack and coordinate responses.
Remarkably, an international exercise last April and May united delegates from over 133 countries to bolster infrastructure resilience.
The scenarios included AI-driven attacks and rogue AI systems developing their own attack methods.
These exercises demonstrated exceptional international cooperation, bringing together countries with geopolitical tensions. “You saw Russia next to Ukraine, India with Pakistan, Israel with Iran,” Al Kuwaiti noted. “Everyone worked together on resilience. Securing our infrastructure is paramount.”
Defenders vs Attackers
Addressing the imbalance between defenders and attackers, Al Kuwaiti recognized this as an ongoing challenge.
Collaboration is essential to share indicators of compromise and best practices, as attackers employ diverse methods.
Innovation requires adopting the attacker’s mindset. The UAE uses simulations and hackathons to understand adversary strategies.
Bug bounty programs motivate white hat hackers to identify vulnerabilities, fostering a community that aids national defense.
Deterrence and Governance
Legal frameworks and deterrence remain critical. Al Kuwaiti emphasized the need for a cyber Geneva Convention to establish rules for cyber warfare.
Private Sector’s Crucial Role
The private sector is vital, as attackers use private infrastructure—like cloud services and platforms—to launch attacks. “We need the private sector’s help to detect attacks early,” Al Kuwaiti explained.
He called for unprecedented collaboration without bureaucratic barriers. “We must collaborate with all entities, countries, and private sectors without policy constraints,” Al Kuwaiti urged.
