“Dubai has never been afraid of the future, it has successfully been building skyward, seaward, and even sandward,” says Dmitry
“Dubai isn’t aiming to be a “smart” city. That’s yesterday’s ambition. By 2040, the goal is to become a sentient city—a place that senses, responds, and learns. This requires merging AI, biotechnology, materials science, and neuroscience at scale.”
It’s 6:00 AM on a Thursday in May 2040. You wake up not to an alarm, but to the subtle light simulation of a circadian-friendly wall panel. The temperature in your apartment has already adjusted to your sleep cycle. Outside, a vertical forest towers above the skyline, filtering desert air into breathable purity. This is how Dubai may look in the future. An intelligent organism, living, evolving, and healing with every breath its residents take.
Read more: AE: Imagining Dubai’s urban evolution: What will the city look like in 2040?
The future requires construction with a strong ecosystem that can face predictable and unpredictable challenges
The phrase ‘In the city, the possibilities are endless, and the horizon boundless’ captures the essence of the endless opportunities that urban landscapes provide.
Development, a continuous process for a city’s economy, provides significant employment opportunities for its residents. However, in the context of the environmental change framework, the resilience and sustainability factors that must be followed to preserve the community’s well-being have been blatantly ignored.
Read more: AE: Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi: Time To Build Proactive Cities
From generative AI to next-gen Agentic systems, Dubai is resharing how governments operate As artificial intelligence becomes central to how governments and cities operate, Dubai is placing AI at the heart of its strategy to become a global digital leader. From citywide chatbot services to autonomous systems that can make decisions in real time, AI is not just powering Dubai’s future, it’s already shaping the present
Salik, the operator of Dubai’s toll gate system, and “Parkonic”, a leading provider of smart parking solutions in the UAE, have announced a strategic partnership with Dubai Holding to launch the region’s first fully intelligent parking system.
This AI-driven solution will cover over 36,000 parking spaces across prominent complexes in Dubai, including street, outdoor, and indoor parking areas, aligning with the Dubai Smart City 2030 Vision.
Read more: AE: Dubai implements AI-powered parking solutions covering over 36,000 parking spaces
Testing marks a milestone moment for autonomous transport, says senior figure from ITC
Masdar City in Abu Dhabi has launched trials of a self-driving shuttle service that transports passengers around a 2.4km route.
If the trials prove successful the service will be deployed on a wider basis, reported the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
Read more: AE: Abu Dhabi's Masdar City begins trials of self-driving shuttle service