GCC AI News — 28 Oct 2026

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), through its Institute of Foundation Models, and Inception42 launched Jais 3 in mid-October, a fleet of AI models built for Arabic and part of the Jais family first launched in Abu Dhabi. The fleet pairs six open language models — from 900 million parameters, small enough to run on a phone, to a 375-billion-parameter flagship — with Jais Speech, a recognition model for Arabic and its dialects. The models are trained on Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects from the Gulf to North Africa, plus the culture the language carries, including poetry and cuisine, for the 400 million-plus people who speak it. Built on the open-source K2 Horizon fleet, they carry a 512,000-token context window, the longest of any Arabic-native model, and are available today on Hugging Face.

Most frontier models treat Arabic as an afterthought; Jais 3 is built for it first, handling the way real speakers slip between dialects and even into English or French mid-sentence. Releasing it openly, across sizes that fit any budget, puts a genuinely capable Arabic AI in the hands of developers and businesses across the region rather than locking it behind a foreign API.

A GCC developer or business can download the Jais 3 model that fits their hardware — from a phone-sized model to the flagship — and build Arabic chatbots, document tools or voice services that understand local dialects, running them on their own infrastructure with full control over their data.

The Governor of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, Prince Saud bin Naif, launched the 'Hope Ribbon 2026' app on 20 October, developed by Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University to raise breast-cancer awareness and encourage early detection, the Saudi Press Agency reported. University President Prof. Fahd bin Ahmed Al-Harbi said it is the first health-awareness model of its kind in the Kingdom, combining artificial intelligence, virtual reality and 360-degree technology in an interactive digital experience. Users move through awareness stations, a virtual simulation of a mammogram and a virtual doctor that answers health questions, before being directed to the appropriate healthcare facility. The Governor said such university-led initiatives help embed a culture of early detection and the use of innovative digital solutions in healthcare.

Breast cancer outcomes hinge on early detection, and anything that makes screening feel less intimidating saves lives. Using AI and VR to walk people through what a mammogram actually involves — and answer their questions through a virtual doctor — turns abstract health advice into a concrete, approachable experience that can nudge more people to get checked.

A woman unsure about breast screening can use the Hope Ribbon app to experience a simulated mammogram, ask a virtual doctor her questions in a private setting, and be guided to the right clinic — lowering the anxiety that often delays a potentially life-saving check-up.

Abu Dhabi tech-enabled healthcare company M42 launched Ossi, an AI platform designed to handle administration so doctors can spend more time with patients, announced on 22 October at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit. Built in partnership with Microsoft, Ossi is estimated to help doctors spend up to 60% more time with patients and is available at seven M42 centres across the UAE and Bahrain. It works alongside electronic medical record systems, bringing together AI agents, voice recognition and healthcare-focused language models to support physicians before, during and after a consultation — a Patient Summary Agent, for example, pulls together a patient's history, medications, lab results and recent appointments before they arrive, so nothing is missed. M42's digital chief called it 'an AI platform built by and for people here in Abu Dhabi'.

Doctors burn hours on paperwork that could be spent with patients. An AI that quietly prepares summaries and handles documentation attacks that problem directly, and building it locally for the region's own clinical context — then hosting it to scale globally via Microsoft Azure — shows the UAE exporting homegrown health AI rather than importing it.

A physician at an M42 centre can open Ossi before an appointment to get an instant, complete summary of the patient's medical history, then let it capture notes during the visit — cutting admin time and keeping attention on the patient rather than the screen.

Abu Dhabi's Department of Health (DoH) signed an agreement with Isomorphic Labs — alongside separate deals with WHOOP, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and AstraZeneca — to collaborate on AI-enabled drug discovery, announced on 21 October at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit in the presence of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed. The collaboration aims to develop a pre-clinical research roadmap for selected AI-enabled discovery projects over 24 months, with research conducted inside Abu Dhabi's Trusted Research Environment. Isomorphic Labs has built a drug-design engine (IsoDDE) of foundational AI models to navigate novel biological systems with high accuracy. DoH chairman Mansoor Al Mansoori said AI is changing 'how quickly we discover new medicines' and 'how precisely we can target disease', pointing to the Emirati Genome Programme and a connected health system as the foundation.

Discovering a new drug normally takes years and billions; pairing a leading AI drug-design engine with Abu Dhabi's population-scale genomic data could compress that timeline and aim treatments more precisely. It positions the UAE not just as an AI user but as a place where globally significant medical discovery happens, on its own data and regulatory terms.

A researcher or pharma partner can work within Abu Dhabi's Trusted Research Environment to run AI-enabled discovery projects against rich clinical and genomic data — testing candidate molecules against real biological insight to develop treatments that could benefit patients in the Gulf and worldwide.

Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced on 19 October that His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar, ratified a Cabinet Decision establishing the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, along with a new Training and Digital Capability Development Department within the ministry. The Center will lead and coordinate national AI efforts, help government entities adopt AI applications and use data, and prepare and monitor the National AI Strategy. The reorganisation is framed as a strategic step to unify the state's AI efforts, accelerate adoption and strengthen Qatar's position among leading digital economies, supporting the Digital Agenda 2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030. The new training department will design specialised programmes, professional certifications and partnerships with academic and technology institutions.

Scattered AI projects across ministries tend to duplicate work and stall; a single national center with a clear mandate can set strategy, share data and move faster. Pairing it with a dedicated training department signals Qatar understands that capability depends on people as much as infrastructure — building the local talent to carry the strategy forward.

A Qatari government body or company can turn to the new National Center for guidance on adopting AI responsibly and using its data well, while students and professionals can tap the training department's certified programmes to build the AI skills the national strategy needs.

The Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi (DGE) launched AiNative, an AI training programme built with OpenAI, Microsoft and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, as part of Abu Dhabi's drive to become the world's first AI-native government by 2027. The programme aims to train 20,000 government employees in practical AI skills by the end of 2026, with plans to extend it to the wider community later. It sits within a broader push that also includes a National AI Upskilling Programme for teachers and expanded AI education in schools, with more than 24,000 teachers and school leaders taking part in professional development ahead of the 2026–2027 academic year.

Governments can buy AI tools, but they only deliver if the people using them know how. Training tens of thousands of employees — with the help of the labs actually building the technology — is how AI ambition turns into better, faster public services, and it builds a base of skilled workers that spreads into the wider economy.

An Abu Dhabi government employee can take the AiNative programme to learn how to apply AI tools to their daily work — drafting, analysis, citizen services — turning abstract 'AI transformation' into concrete skills they use at their desk, with the training later opening to the wider community.

The UAE's Federal Tax Authority launched a new AI-powered digital platform for tourist VAT refunds on 20 October, describing it as the world's first of its kind, in collaboration with Planet, the authorised operator of the tourist VAT Refund Scheme. The fully digital, 100% paperless process handles verification and data entry through Planet's enhanced smart mobile app alongside AI-powered facial-recognition technology, cutting the refund time to one business day from nine previously. It is operational at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. An FTA official said the platform offers 'the world's fastest tax refund experience' and embodies a proactive model aligned with the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme.

AI is at its best when it quietly removes friction from everyday life. Turning a nine-day, paper-heavy refund into a same-day, paperless one is a tangible win that millions of visitors feel directly, and it showcases the UAE using AI to make government services genuinely faster rather than just digitising old queues.

A tourist leaving the UAE can claim their VAT refund through Planet's app using facial recognition at the airport, skip the paperwork entirely, and receive the money within one business day instead of waiting more than a week.

Bahrain's Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, inaugurated the MEET ICT conference and BITEX 2026 exhibition on 27 October under the theme 'AI: Driving the Digital Economy of Tomorrow', News of Bahrain reported. In his opening address he revealed that the ministry is developing a national AI strategy to support the Kingdom's digital transformation, stressing the need to adopt AI responsibly, safely and inclusively, keeping people and their progress at the centre. He said Bahrain's digital economy is supported by advanced infrastructure, forward-looking policies and investment in human capital, and that secure, high-capacity communications networks are essential to unlocking the potential of AI, cloud computing and emerging technologies. The events gathered officials, experts and ICT-sector companies to discuss emerging innovations.

A clear national strategy is what turns scattered AI pilots into coordinated national progress. Bahrain framing its approach around responsible, inclusive adoption — with people at the centre — signals a governance-first path, and pairing the announcement with a major industry gathering helps align government, business and talent behind a shared direction.

A Bahraini company or public body can watch the forthcoming national AI strategy for the standards and priorities it sets, then align its own AI projects — and workforce training through initiatives like Tamkeen's AI programme — to fit the national framework as it takes shape.

A new partnership has launched the DeepAstra API in Oman to broaden access to AI technologies for institutions and the private sector, the Oman Observer reported on 21 October. The service is designed to reduce the heavy upfront investment usually tied to adopting AI by aligning costs with actual usage, helping organisations turn AI capabilities into real applications, products and services. The collaboration is pitched at small and medium enterprises, developers and technology companies, giving them a practical pathway to build and scale AI solutions locally while keeping greater control over their data and models, and reducing the need for large infrastructure investment in the early stages.

The biggest barrier to AI for smaller firms is cost and complexity up front. A usage-based API that lets a developer start small and scale as they grow — while keeping data in-country — lowers that barrier, spreading AI beyond big institutions to the SMEs that make up most of the economy and supporting Oman's push to grow its own digital-services sector.

A small Omani software company can tap the DeepAstra API to add AI features to its products without building expensive infrastructure, paying only for what it uses as it grows — and keeping its data and models under local control.

The 5th Digital Transformation Kuwait Conference 2026 brought together more than 800 delegates from over 500 organisations, with 45-plus speakers, to explore how AI, intelligent infrastructure and emerging technologies can shape the nation's digital future, Zawya reported on 26 October. Organised with the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) and in partnership with the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), the two-day gathering is a strategic platform for advancing Kuwait's digital ambitions in line with Kuwait Vision 2035. The programme examined strengthening AI infrastructure, cloud computing and secure connectivity, the evolution of intelligent government services, and the growing application of AI across healthcare, education, banking, energy, aviation and transport, with a strong focus on cybersecurity, digital identity and digital trust.

Convening regulators, government CIOs and industry in one place is how a national digital agenda moves from policy to delivery. Kuwait tying the conversation to Vision 2035 and emphasising trust, cybersecurity and better public services shows a measured approach — building the governance and skills base alongside the technology rather than chasing AI for its own sake.

A Kuwaiti public-sector CIO or technology provider can use the conference's agenda and partnerships to benchmark their roadmap against national priorities — focusing investment on secure government services, cloud and digital-trust foundations that align with Vision 2035.