Photo: Foundations World Economic Forum, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Omar Sultan Al Olama
UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications; Chairman, AI and Data Authority
UAE Office for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work ApplicationsDubai, United Arab Emirates
Appointed in October 2017 as the world's first minister dedicated to artificial intelligence. In 2026 he chairs the UAE's newly formed Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority and continues to represent the UAE in international AI-governance forums, including the UN's global AI dialogue in July 2026.
Public role
Al Olama has held the AI, digital economy and remote-work-applications portfolio since 2017, and was named Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications in July 2020. At the UN's July 2026 global dialogue on AI governance, he argued for AI to remain accessible to "the many" rather than concentrated among a few, as a condition for avoiding harmful outcomes from the technology.
Public record
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