In line with its strategic role as a center for research on the future of government in the AI age, the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) organised a high-level workshop titled “Reskilling Societies for the Age of AI: Building Human Capital and Institutional Capacity for the Future of Work in the MENA Region”. The dialogue was held at MBRSG’s headquarters in Dubai as an official pre-summit event of the AI Impact Summit, hosted this year by India.
The workshop served as a strategic preparatory platform for the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’. It convened regional and international decision-makers and experts for a dialogue to examine rapid transformations in labour markets and explore the future of work in the region, driven by the accelerating adoption of AI applications and advanced digital technologies.
Organised by the MBRSG’s Center for Future of Government, the workshop brought together leading thinkers and practitioners in the AI governance domain. Hosting an official preparatory event of the AI Impact Summit, under the auspices of the India AI initiative and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), showcased MBRSG’s position as a leading research institution in future of public policy and AI governance. The event builds on a series of impactful research projects and programmatic activities hosted by MBRSG’s newly founded Center, under its AI Governance Research Initiative.
His Excellency Dr Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), said: “This event underscores MBRSG’s commitment to equipping governments for the AI era by developing human capital and strengthening institutional capacities to navigate profound shifts in labour markets. We believe that investing in people, alongside modernising education and training policies, forms a fundamental pillar for building a resilient and sustainable future of work in the region.”
He added: “Through this event, we aim to strengthen partnerships across the governmental, academic, and industrial sectors that will help create ethical and responsible career pathways for the future workforce. It served as a platform to foster cooperation, supporting the development of integrated educational and institutional policies. It also aimed to enhance the readiness of both institutions and individuals to adapt to digital-era labour market changes, thereby promoting inclusive and sustainable development.”
“This important event is one of many leading research-focused activities planned, under the AI Governance Initiative (AIGI) hosted by the MBRSG Center for Future of Government which leads several global policy research projects with international and local partners” added Dr. Fadi Salem, Director of Policy Research Department. “These projects include for example, global mapping of AI Safety solutions, AI ethics certification, generative AI and the future of public workforce, examining the AI start-up ecosystem, exploring AI governance challenges in 10 Arab countries, and building an ‘AI Atlas’ of responsible AI applications, among many others. These highly influential policy research projects and datasets are hosted by the center in partnership with global knowledge and partners such as UNDP, IEEE, Google, Future of Life Institute, among others.”
The event strategically helped inform roadmaps for building a flexible and highly skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of the AI era in the Middle East and the Global South. It also addressed the structural challenges posed by rapid changes in the nature of work, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which have made significant progress in digital transformation and in creating knowledge-based, innovation-driven economies according to MBRSG’s own research findings.
The discussions held during the event were aligned with the human capital theme of the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’. The dialogues focused on key issues, including AI skills development, education ecosystem reform, and the comprehensive, sustainable development of talent, balancing labour market needs with ethical considerations and social responsibility.
The event generated valuable outcomes, which were submitted as an official contribution to the institutional track of the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’, supporting the development of regional AI policies. These outcomes are frequently documented by MBRSG in comprehensive proceedings outlining principal findings and recommendations, alongside the publication of specialised policy briefs. The event proceedings will be published to share knowledge and promote the development of responsible career pathways for the future workforce.
The event contributes to MBRSG’s vision to enrich government knowledge, empower national and regional talent, and consolidate its position as a leading intellectual platform in the AI age, spearheaded by its Center for the Future of Government Research. The School’s Policy Research Department strategically supports informed decision-making and anticipates future development needs. This vision, furthermore, aligns with the leadership’s forward-looking approach to building resilient and sustainable societies that harness digital transformation to serve humanity.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government is a research public policy think tank and academic teaching institution focused on government administration and public policy in the Arab region. It aims to support the advancement of government excellence locally and regionally through an integrated ecosystem of research centers, educational and training programmes, and public initiatives to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among government institutions. As a policy research center focused on the future of government, the School leads dedicated policy research projects and research teams working on AI governance, AI safety and AI ecosystem enablement. Key MBRSG research outputs on AI governance are available on MBRSG’s research website: https://www.mbrsg.ae/research and https://cfg.ae/.
