Dubai drives urban governance transformation with data and AI, ranking second globally in the BCG Smart City Index.

According to Fortune, the Dubai government agency Digital Dubai is driving government transformation by integrating cross-departmental data and AI. In April this year, the agency launched an AI Integration Matrix framework, leveraging it to guide the deployment of over 100 AI systems to reduce redundancy. Its Dubai Population Now platform integrates multi-source data from sectors including residency, transportation, and healthcare to estimate the population in real time. By the end of 2025, Dubai’s resident population stood at 4.58 million, with an average daytime peak of 6.39 million; this surplus of 1.81 million people accounts for approximately 40% of the resident population. In August, Dubai ranked second out of 61 cities in the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Smart Cities Index, taking the top spot for the adoption of AI technologies and smart city solutions. The Dubai government has also stated that AI-driven governance initiatives are expected to drive over 10 billion dirhams (approximately $2.72 billion) in GDP growth within two years of implementation.