Dubai's Department of Finance has reminded government agencies in the emirate to make use of new AI seals that seek to ensure quality and reliability.
"The DoF has urged government entities to restrict AI-related service and consultancy contracts to companies certified with the Dubai AI Seal, launched by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence under the Dubai Future Foundation," the government body supervising all financial and accounting affairs said on social media.
The seals were announced in April by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, a division of the Dubai Future Foundation that was founded in 2016 to accelerate the adoption of new technology throughout the UAE.
Six seal tiers – E, D, C, B, A and S – are on offer for businesses, "with S representing the highest impact on Dubai's AI economy".
According to the AI centre, the seals are "awarded to companies with proven and verified activities in Dubai" that fall under the categories of AI consulting, development, infrastructure, integration and ancillary services.
They are required by Dubai's government entities from sellers of AI services, and those who earn the seals have a higher chance of winning government AI projects.
There has been a rising tide of marketing campaigns from technology companies promoting various products that they say contain the latest AI features.
Several recent reports and surveys indicate that the UAE is well ahead of the curve in terms of AI adoption and use.
Recent headlines and lawsuits, however, show that there are ample reasons for those in search of the latest AI tools to be cautious.
This year, the US Attorney's office in New York sued a tech start-up founder for allegedly marketing an app that claimed to use advanced AI features to make shopping easier, but the platform was actually powered by human workers in the Philippines and Romania.
Last year, media outlet The Information reported that Amazon's AI-based “just walk out” grocery shops that eliminated the need for checkouts were actually powered by thousands of contract workers in India who routinely had to step in make sure the systems worked.
Still, enthusiasm and investment in the AI sector shows no sign of slowing, and companies are constantly working to evolve products to keep pace.
That often adding the term "AI" to branding, in a practice some have described as "AI washing".
According to the Dubai AI centre's website, the AI seals seek to provide "protection from irrelevant suppliers and AI washing.".
Mohammed Soliman, director of the strategic technologies and cybersecurity programme at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, said that Dubai is making a wise move as it tries to bring order to a "noisy AI market", but warned that consistency will be key.
"The idea is right but the follow through matters," said Mr Soliman, author of West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East.
"If certification becomes a box-ticking exercise, it risks turning into just another go."
Mr Soliman said that so far, there is reason for optimism in how Dubai is using its AI seals.
"It wants to be seen not just as an adopter of AI, but as a place that defines what responsible AI looks like," he said. Mr Solimon said other cities and countries would be wise to take notice.
"A significant amount of AI on the market is exaggerated or deceptive. Basic algorithms and automation are often being rebranded with sophisticated labels to capitalise on AI's hype."
