UAE's AI Office ranks Google Gemini, ChatGPT among top three AI tools

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has placed Google’s Gemini at the top of its newly launched “AI in the Ring” Index, the world’s first benchmark designed to test how well AI language models understand and reflect Emirati culture, identity, and values.

Announced by the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office, the index evaluates AI systems through a cultural-intelligence challenge focused on Emirati dialects, traditions, and social norms.

Gemini secured the leading position after being tested across more than 400 questions spanning seven cultural dimensions. The assessment produced 5,200 responses from 11 major AI models, which were then reviewed by a committee of Emirati experts to determine cultural accuracy and depth of understanding.

Following Gemini 2.5 Pro, the top performers were OpenAI’s ChatGPT models GPT-4o and o1, along with Cohere and Grok.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, said the results highlight a crucial priority for the UAE: ensuring that AI systems preserve and promote the nation’s identity as digital adoption grows. He noted that “innovation is strongest when it is anchored in the roots of a nation’s identity,” adding that emerging technologies must reinforce the UAE’s authentic values.

The push for culturally grounded AI comes at a critical moment. Just under 5% of Arabic content is available in digital form globally, while nearly half of Generation Z now relies on AI as their primary source of information. 

This gap, officials warn, makes it essential for AI models to be trained on accurate and locally relevant cultural data to safeguard the UAE’s heritage for future generations.

Last month, the UAE’s AI Office launched “AI for All,” a new initiative introduced during the UAE Coding Day event, UAE Codes 2025. Developed in partnership with Google, the programme aims to equip people across the UAE with essential AI and tech skills through comprehensive training on the fundamentals of AI. 

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The initiative is designed for all ages and professional backgrounds and will be rolled out throughout 2026. The push comes as generative AI is expected to become a major economic driver for the UAE. 

According to Public First (2025), the technology could contribute as much as AED 298 billion to the national economy,  a growth opportunity that underscores the urgent need to build AI capabilities across the workforce.