Dubai wants AI agents to run more of its businesses. Here’s how

Dubai’s efforts to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption are expanding into business operations, with new initiatives aimed at helping companies automate tasks, deploy AI systems, and improve productivity.

As the third edition of the Dubai AI Festival concluded on October 27, announcements included the launch of an AI marketplace for private-sector companies, the formal establishment of Scale AI’s UAE operations, and a new platform connecting AI agents across businesses.

Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the two-day event brought together technology companies, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to explore the growing role of AI in business and the wider economy.

Here are some of the key announcements.

DUBAI CHAMBERS LAUNCHES AI MARKETPLACE

Dubai Chambers launched Chamber AI Hub, an agentic AI marketplace designed to help businesses automate administrative and operational tasks.

The platform currently offers 22 specialized AI agents across seven business functions, including compliance, procurement, operations, finance, sales, human resources, and logistics.

Companies can use the agents for tasks such as reviewing contracts, evaluating suppliers, matching invoices against purchase orders, screening job candidates, and generating business proposals.

The initiative aims to reach more than 295,000 private-sector companies in Dubai, with plans to expand the marketplace to 100 specialized AI agents over the next two years.

It also includes training programs targeting 14,000 companies affiliated with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce’s business groups and councils, helping businesses integrate AI into their daily operations.

Companies can test AI agents before deploying them, with access to complimentary credits and usage-based subscription packages. The platform supports Arabic and English, with business data hosted in the UAE.

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, said the success of agentic AI adoption depends on how effectively companies use the technology to address business challenges and deliver tangible results.

The launch reflects Dubai’s efforts to move AI beyond experimentation and encourage its adoption across business functions, particularly as companies seek to improve efficiency and reduce manual workloads.

SCALE AI ESTABLISHES UAE OPERATIONS

US-based artificial intelligence company Scale AI formally launched its UAE entity at the Dubai AI Festival, establishing a presence at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The company specializes in AI data infrastructure, model evaluation, and testing, working with organizations to develop and deploy advanced AI systems.

Its UAE expansion will focus on helping institutions evaluate AI performance, meet governance requirements, and develop systems that operate reliably in Arabic. The company also plans to support local teams with the skills needed to operate, evaluate, and improve AI systems.

The announcement follows a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in October with Abu Dhabi-based AI company Presight, marking another step in Scale AI’s expansion in the country.

The move comes as governments and businesses increasingly focus on the reliability and oversight of AI systems, particularly as the technology becomes more integrated into decision-making and public services.

Establishing operations at DIFC places Scale AI within Dubai’s growing technology ecosystem, as the emirate seeks to attract international AI companies and strengthen its capacity to develop and deploy AI applications.

SOIKA LABS LAUNCHES AI AGENT NETWORK

Dubai-based technology company Soika Labs opened early access to its Mockingjay Network, a platform designed to help businesses build, deploy, and connect AI agents across different organizations.

The platform allows companies to create specialized AI agents for tasks including recruitment, customer relationship management, communications, marketing, procurement, and real estate operations.

Through its Global Agentic Neural Network (GANN), AI agents belonging to different companies can communicate and collaborate on shared tasks.

According to the company, the platform combines multiple large language models with automated routing technology that directs tasks to suitable AI models. Soika Labs claims this approach can reduce credit consumption by up to 70%.

For example, the company says businesses can use the platform to coordinate marketing campaigns, compare supplier quotations, manage property listings, and automate customer interactions.

The early-access program is initially available to UAE residents, with companies receiving 5,000 complimentary credits to build and host AI agents.

Enzo Amur, CEO of Soika Labs, said the early-access phase would help the company understand how businesses are integrating AI agents into their operations and their readiness to collaborate with other organizations through the technology.

As AI agents take on more responsibilities, the platform also allows businesses to set permissions, access levels, and approval points to maintain human oversight.

Soika Labs is planning a wider launch in December, with the early-access phase providing an opportunity to assess how companies use the technology in real-world business processes.

The launch comes as businesses increasingly explore agentic AI systems that can carry out multiple tasks and coordinate workflows rather than simply respond to individual prompts.

Together, the announcements highlight a growing focus on the practical adoption of AI across Dubai’s business community, as companies and institutions explore how the technology can improve operations and support new ways of working.

The festival’s opening day saw Dubai announce new targets to attract more than 1,000 AI companies and create over 5,000 jobs by 2030, alongside developments in legal technology, recruitment, and language models.