World’s first Chief AI Officer: How Dubai puts people first in AI

Sol Rashidi, recognized as the world’s first Chief AI Officer, has praised Dubai as the ideal testing ground for AI-driven mobility solutions, citing the city’s unique blend of innovation, governance, and people-first policies.

Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Dubai World Congress and Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, Rashidi said:

“The automotive, transportation, and aerial space of AI is one of the most exciting because it touches every consumer. But it’s also the most sensitive. Safety and risk mitigation aren’t glamorous, but they are the number one success factor when scaling these technologies.”

Testing Every “What-If” Scenario

Rashidi emphasized the rigorous evaluation process behind autonomous vehicles and aerial transport systems. She explained that each application must undergo countless “what-if” analyses to ensure reliability.

“If you have 200 use cases, every application has to go through the what-if scenarios. What if this goes wrong? What if this fails? The goal is that passengers never experience the friction of these risks. They only experience how we mitigated them.”

This detailed testing approach, she noted, is essential to winning public trust in driverless mobility.

People-First Governance Model

Rashidi also highlighted what makes Dubai stand out globally: its AI governance strategy.
“Dubai is one of the few spaces where AI happens with the people and not to the people. Other nations aren’t necessarily following that playbook,” she said.

Transitioning from pilot projects to mass adoption is often the hardest stage for new technologies. Here, Dubai’s focus on data management, governance, and security plays a critical role.
“Many can run pilots. The challenge is pivoting from pilot to production, and then to mass adoption. Most consumers don’t live in our world of AI, so the feeling of safety is the most important feeling,” Rashidi added.

Dubai’s Roadmap for Autonomous Transport

The city has already begun testing autonomous taxis in select districts, laying the foundation for a large-scale rollout. According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai remains on track to launch commercial operations of driverless cars by the first quarter of 2026.

By putting public trust at the center of its AI mobility strategy, Dubai is positioning itself as a global pioneer in autonomous transport, blending technological ambition with real-world safety and governance.