Abu Dhabi and OpenAI launch Machine‑Readable Government to automate permit checks

Abu Dhabi and US company OpenAI announced on 2 November 2026 a programme to introduce artificial intelligence into the emirate's government administration aimed at automating checks in the issuance of permits and certificates. The initiative, named Machine-Readable Government (MRG), will convert laws and administrative procedures into machine-readable form so AI can verify whether applications meet legal requirements, while final decisions will remain with government officials.

First pilot running in food import procedures

The first pilot system is already in use for food import procedures at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), and the project is being led by the Department of Government Enablement (DGE). OpenAI has said the processing runs on its infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, with compute capacity located in the country.

The announcement followed a meeting between Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's crown prince, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and was presented along with three other contracts covering energy, investment analysis and broader AI deployments. One of those agreements includes collaboration between ADNOC, G42 through Inception42 and OpenAI on production, logistics and business decision-making; another covers Mubadala, Inception42 and OpenAI for investment and risk analysis; and a separate five-year contract between Inception42 and OpenAI addresses government entities, companies and education.

“Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates are setting a bold global standard for the integration of artificial intelligence,” Altman said, adding that the benefits of the technology should be available to everyone alongside commitments to safety, accessibility and responsible innovation.

Authorities described the MRG project as the first of its kind worldwide, but the announcement provided no independent confirmation. Key details were not disclosed: the value of the contracts, how many regulations will be converted, timelines for rollout to other agencies, the number of cases processed so far, measurement of verification accuracy, time saved, or procedures for handling potential errors.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, ADNOC’s chief executive, said AI enables activities that were previously out of reach, while Mansur Al Mansouri, CEO of G42 International, commented: "You don't have to use artificial intelligence to benefit from it." The project forms part of Abu Dhabi's 2025–2027 digital strategy, a 13 billion-dirham (about $3.54 billion) programme that aims for more than 200 AI solutions and full digitalisation and automation of government processes by 2027.

Photo: press material from the event