ABU DHABI: Yango Group, in partnership with INSEAD and Polynome, will host an exclusive executive workshop at Machines Can Think 2026, the UAE’s premier AI summit. Scheduled for January 26 at the Park Hyatt Saadiyat from 11:20 AM to 1:00 PM, the workshop will focus on the practical implementation of AI within the UAE’s public and semi-government sectors.
As AI increasingly becomes integral to governmental and organizational operations in the UAE, it is propelled by ambitious national strategies and substantial investments. The UAE’s 2031 AI Strategy aims to align with Centennial 2071 goals by fostering robust AI investments across various sectors, thereby creating high-value markets that contribute to sustainable economic growth.
Set against this backdrop, the workshop will delve into the challenges many AI initiatives encounter when attempting to scale beyond initial pilot programs, despite early successes. The discussions will address how factors such as procurement decisions, data ownership, organizational structures, and governance models influence AI outcomes on a larger scale. Panelists will explore the necessary steps to integrate AI into genuine decision-making processes rather than relegating it to the automation of isolated tasks. The session will also shed light on the long-term trade-offs that governments and large institutions must navigate to ensure AI generates lasting, accountable impacts.
Participants will include prominent figures from both government and industry, such as Mohammed Adnane Retmi of Core42, Naima Al Falasi of Mubadala, Dr. Merouane Debbah from Polynome and Khalifa University, Tareq Ashmawy from the Department of Government Enablement, and Sergei Loiter, CEO of AI at Yango Group.
This workshop is timely, coinciding with a period of rapid AI adoption in the UAE, where AI integration reached 97% in 2025. This trend supports the national ambition of achieving complete reliance on AI for services and data analysis by 2031. Investments directed toward AI exceeded AED 543 billion in 2024 and 2025, marking a shift from experimentation to real-world application. The event positions Yango Group and INSEAD as central players in a dialogue focused on transitioning from ambitious AI strategies to accountable delivery.
As AI continues to evolve and integrate into various sectors, the workshop aims to provide insights that can inform future strategies and implementations. Interested participants can register to join global AI leaders and innovators in Abu Dhabi at machinescanthink.ai.
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