Abu dhabi: The UAE is taking a significant step in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) with the announcement of the National AI Test and Validation Lab. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the UAE Cyber Security Council, Open Innovation AI, and Cisco, alongside strategic partner Emircom. This pioneering facility is designed to assist government entities and private sector organizations in the UAE in testing, validating, and certifying AI models, agents, and applications, ensuring their security and trustworthiness.
According to Emirates News Agency, Dr. Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, emphasized that AI is becoming integral to government services, critical infrastructure, and daily life in the UAE. He stated that the National AI Test and Validation Lab will provide the country with the capability to ensure AI deployments are secure and aligned with national strategies. This initiative aims to cement the UAE's position as a leader in the field of AI by offering verifiable assurance to its citizens.
The Lab, hosted in the UAE and governed by the Cybersecurity Council, is structured to align AI deployments with the national cybersecurity strategy and policies related to AI, cloud, and critical information infrastructure. It is also designed to assess compliance with international standards such as ISO 42001 and frameworks from MITRE ATLAS, NIST AI RMF, and OWASP.
The Lab conducts comprehensive evaluations of AI systems to ensure reliability, covering aspects such as model security, threat defense, data integrity, supply-chain security, agent autonomy, and regulatory compliance. AI systems that meet these standards will receive a national certification mark, providing assurance of their security and verification.
Fady Younes, Managing Director for Cybersecurity at Cisco Middle East, Turkiye, Africa, Romania, and CIS, highlighted the importance of embedding security within AI infrastructure. He pointed out that the collaboration with the UAE Cybersecurity Council and Open Innovation AI is crucial for securing the UAE's digital economy and establishing a global model for a resilient and trustworthy AI ecosystem.
Dr. Abed Benaichouche, Chief Executive Officer of Open Innovation AI, remarked on the continuous need for securing AI as models evolve and new attack techniques emerge. He noted that the Lab is designed to handle the scale of AI deployment, anticipating the analysis of tens to hundreds of thousands of agents annually.
The Lab is equipped with high-performance infrastructure combining Cisco's secure networking and compute capabilities with Open Innovation AI's software, aimed at automating policy conformance and evidence collection. It is already operational and plans to scale further, analyzing a substantial number of AI agents annually to support the UAE's rapid AI adoption.
The facility is set to serve a variety of sectors, including government entities, critical national infrastructure operators, financial services, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and UAE-based AI developers, ensuring their models and agents meet national requirements before market entry.