Abu Dhabi has launched AiNative, a programme aiming to train 20,000 government employees in AI by the end of 2026. The practical point is that the training is being tailored to people’s jobs, with guidance on what government information may be entered into AI systems.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The programme was announced by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement on 7 October, at the Ai Everything Abu Dhabi event. AI News reports that AiNative was developed with OpenAI, Microsoft and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and is now available across Abu Dhabi Government.
Training covers ChatGPT, Codex and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Separate material is planned for senior officials, with job-specific courses for areas including taxation, procurement, legal work and finance. Employees will also be taught which types of government information can be shared with AI tools, which need restrictions and which must not be shared.
The department owns the curriculum. The report says OpenAI provides training materials, Microsoft supports Copilot training, and MBZUAI is involved in personalised learning sessions. Later phases are expected to add specialist certifications in coding and data-related functions. A public programme is also planned through the government’s Tomouh learning app, but no general availability date has been announced.
Read AI News’s report on AiNative.
Why it matters
This is a sizeable public-sector effort to turn AI access into workforce training, rather than treating a software rollout as the whole job. Abu Dhabi has already deployed Microsoft 365 Copilot across government agencies, according to the report. AiNative adds instruction on applying tools to specific work and on handling sensitive government information, two details that matter more than another round of enthusiasm about “AI adoption”.
The programme’s stated target is 20,000 employees by the end of 2026. Whether training changes day-to-day work, improves services or reduces mistakes will take evidence beyond attendance figures.
Our read
The useful idea here is pairing practical training with rules about what staff can and cannot put into AI systems. That is the unglamorous part of adoption, which is often where the consequential decisions live. The next test is whether employees get enough hands-on support to use the tools well, and whether the government measures results rather than counting completed courses.
What to watch
- Whether Abu Dhabi reaches its target of training 20,000 employees by the end of 2026.
- What safeguards and data-handling rules staff are taught, and how they are applied.
- Whether the government publishes evidence of changes to service quality or staff workflows.
- When public courses through Tomouh become available.
Discussion spark: Should public-sector AI training be judged mainly by how many employees complete it, or by measurable improvements to services and safeguards?
Sources and evidence
- Abu Dhabi launches AI training programme for 20,000 government employees – AI News (8 October 2026, 10:11 UTC)
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