Gemini Named Most Culturally Aligned AI in UAE’s First-of-its-Kind Index
New benchmark evaluates how well AI models understand Emirati culture, dialects, and values.
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The UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office has named Google’s Gemini the top-performing model in the inaugural “AI in the Ring” Index, a new benchmark designed to test whether large language models can accurately interpret and reflect Emirati culture.
Officials describe it as the first evaluation framework centered on cultural intelligence in an AI context—an increasingly strategic metric as generative systems enter education, public services, and daily decision-making.
The assessment reviewed over 400 culturally grounded questions across seven dimensions, generating 5,200 responses from 11 leading language models. A committee of Emirati cultural experts evaluated each output for accuracy, nuance, and alignment with national values. Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro ranked first, followed by models from OpenAI—ChatGPT (GPT-4o) and ChatGPT (o1)—as well as Cohere and Grok.
According to Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, the results mark a priority: ensuring that AI systems deployed in the UAE “reinforce national identity rather than dilute it.”
As generative AI becomes embedded in public and private sector workflows, he said, models must be capable of navigating local dialects, historical references, and socio-cultural norms with precision. Innovation, he argued, “is strongest when anchored in the roots of a nation’s identity.”
The urgency behind culturally aligned AI is partly structural. Despite Arabic being one of the world’s most widely spoken languages, less than 5% of global Arabic content exists in digital form.
At the same time, 48% of Gen Z in the UAE now cites AI tools as a primary source of information. Policymakers worry that without intervention, global models—trained largely on non-Arabic data—will shape regional knowledge ecosystems in ways that miss or misrepresent local context.
The UAE is also moving to embed advanced AI directly into its education system. Last month, the government announced a nationwide initiative granting every university student free, year-long access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s flagship model typically priced at Dh73 per month. Students aged 18 and above can register until December 9, 2025.
Google’s MENA managing director, Anthony Nakache, noted a 110% year-on-year increase in AI-related study queries from the UAE. He said the surge reflects a growing willingness among educators and students to use generative tools for research, content creation, and academic planning.
