The Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar Al Olama, announced on Tuesday, October 6, that thanks to the multiplication of individual workers' capabilities through artificial intelligence agents, companies worth tens of millions or even billions of dollars could emerge, managed by a single person.
Speaking at the AI Everything Abu Dhabi event, Al Olama noted that the UAE can utilize AI agents to overcome limitations associated with a relatively small population and to compete economically with much larger markets.
He emphasized that such companies would appear—multi-million or billion-dollar entities consisting of one person and their agents. According to him, AI agents are capable of 'multiplying' human abilities, skills, and influence, opening up opportunities for countries like the UAE to compete with markets having hundreds of millions of people or more.
Al Olama added that if these agents are given the advantage of multiplying their capabilities, skills, and influence, the country can compete economically with larger players. He pointed out that this shift is already happening in workplaces in the UAE, citing the business in Abu Dhabi he visited this week, where over ten percent of the staff are AI agents.
These agents performed tasks at 'multiple speeds,' simultaneously increasing productivity and decision-making quality. These statements came amid the UAE's aggressive move towards agentic AI in both public and private sectors. In April, the UAE Cabinet approved frameworks for implementing agentic AI in 50 percent of government sectors and operations within two years.
In June, the UAE established the AI and Data Office, where Al Olama was appointed chairman. This office is responsible for national directions and priorities in AI, data, and digital government.
Al Olama suggested that this transformation would extend not only to traditional business but also to the entertainment sector, as AI could potentially allow individuals to manage studios that previously required large teams and significant budgets. He noted that historically, content creation in the entertainment sphere has been concentrated in specific regions, such as Hollywood, Bollywood in India, or South Korea.
He sincerely believes that if people are given the opportunity to use these tools, refine, and improve their skills, widespread adoption will occur. In his view, the first market to dominate in AI-generated entertainment content will be the one that adopts this technology most rapidly. Al Olama mentioned seeing advertisements for AI-generated films and series on Instagram and Snapchat, which could quickly attract viewers.
He described a model where small teams or individuals use AI to write scripts, generate multiple plot variations, and quickly release content. As examples of using AI for rapid entertainment content variation, he cited themes such as aliens, dinosaurs, spies, and ninjas. He concluded that the barrier to entry has become so low that we will soon see entertainment studios where one person can create world-changing content in unprecedented ways.
Acknowledging the need to adhere to national restrictions, he also stated that this revolution is starting right now. Al Olama warned that countries and individuals who refuse to engage with AI risk falling behind, arguing that mere regulation of the technology without its adoption will not protect economies from its consequences. He stressed that in 99 percent of cases, inaction will have a negative effect, and workers may lose their jobs if they do not adapt, while countries refusing AI risk missing economic opportunities.
In his opinion, the action plan is simple: every person who wishes to participate in this wave must understand this technology, know how to use it, and benefit from it. Therefore, the UAE is pursuing an aggressive upskilling strategy in AI, including training 80,000 civil servants to become 'superusers' capable of creating agents and utilizing AI models. Furthermore, he announced that the UAE, in collaboration with Microsoft, is preparing to announce next month the conclusion of a campaign aimed at training one million people to become 'AI super-drivers,' and that more ambitious programs will be unveiled.
Al Olama also mentioned visiting an AI festival in Kazakhstan, where one person created a film or content that would traditionally require a large team and potentially millions of dollars. He noted that such tools can change how people express themselves and create new opportunities for content monetization without needing to become social media influencers.
Responding to the question of how the UAE can compete with established AI hubs like San Francisco and London, Al Olama explained that the country's strategy is not to build the world's largest AI laboratories. He stated that the greatest economic and social benefits from major technologies often go to the countries that successfully adopt and apply them, rather than those where they were first invented. He clarified that the UAE does not plan to compete with San Francisco in building labs but aims to be the fastest in the market so that countries and cities adopting AI can most effectively improve the quality of life.
The broader state strategy of the UAE is already moving in this direction, as the government aims to implement agentic AI in half of its sectors and operations within two years. Al Olama specified that the measure of success for the UAE in AI goes beyond assessing company valuation or productivity gains. His measure of success is the positive change in the lives of the greatest number of people.
He noted that the government considers not only productivity and economic results but also whether the implementation of AI in public and related sectors genuinely improves people's lives. He linked public acceptance of AI to people being able to see tangible benefits from its use. If people see that every time AI is mentioned or implemented, their quality of life improves, their reaction will be completely different. He added that the UAE ranks first in optimism regarding AI in many reports and surveys, and maintaining this status requires ensuring AI has a positive impact on people's lives.
The Minister also indicated that the rapid development of AI forces governments to reconsider intellectual property protection. He observed that traditional IP systems were designed to protect human inventors from copying their work, but they have never before encountered a non-human system capable of generating novel outcomes. He believes that now is the right time to revise rights and protective measures to align with modern realities.
He mentioned examples of AI systems generating complex engineering designs for rockets and electric motors that could form the basis of commercially valuable companies. He also noted that the nature of data used to train AI models is changing, asserting that synthetic data generated by AI now constitutes the overwhelming majority of training data. He stated: 'AI creates, and AI consumes,' and that this will become the norm of the future.
In Al Olama's view, governments need to develop a system that protects creators while encouraging people to use AI to achieve positive results. He pointed to the dilemma in advanced AI regulation: innovators seek to push technological boundaries, while regulators must protect people from potential harm. He insisted that these parties should not operate in isolation but should foster mutual exchange of ideas.
The UAE employs an approach where innovators are brought into the regulatory thought process, and regulators are encouraged to think like innovators. Al Olama also discussed the UAE's approach to using AI during elections: candidates must register the use of AI, limit it to cases concerning themselves rather than harming others, and document every use within specified timelines. These rules are intended to prevent the spread of disinformation or blackmail using AI while ensuring accountability.
Responding to a student's question about how young people with ideas can gain government attention without connections, Al Olama asserted that AI has made the current generation unusually powerful. He said that today students can access knowledge and intelligence tools without needing to find individual experts or conduct lengthy research before realizing an idea. He urged youth to use AI tools to build ideas that others might initially deem impossible.
Regarding collaboration with the government from socially impactful organizations, Al Olama advised governments to be accessible and receptive to new ideas. He pointed to existing channels of interaction, such as AI Camp and UAE Codes platforms, as well as incubators and accelerators. He concluded that the government must embrace new ideas, support, and welcome those who wish to help it evolve, as the state is constantly evolving and must work with external organizations for rapid response to changes.