Artificial intelligence (AI) and disruptive technologies are redefining global economic models, disrupting industries and creating new markets. Quebec and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are positioning themselves as major players in the development and application of these technologies, each adopting distinct strategies to foster innovation and economic growth.
Quebec is recognized worldwide for its advances in AI, thanks in particular to the Mila Institute, founded by 2018 Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio. Mila brings together over 1,000 researchers and collaborates with leading companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and IBM. (IBM Newsroom, 2020) The institute excels in fields such as machine learning, responsible AI and green AI (Mila, 2025).
IVADO, another major AI research center based in Montreal, has over 1,400 researchers and industrial partners. It focuses on data science and optimization, facilitating collaborations between fundamental research and industrial applications (IVADO, 2025). Today, Montreal is recognized as a global center of excellence in AI, with innovative companies such as Element AI (acquired by ServiceNow) and academic clusters of excellence.
What's more, Quebec benefits from a unique concentration of AI talent, thanks to a strong university ecosystem including Université de Montréal, McGill and Polytechnique Montréal. This synergy between research and industry enables rapid and effective technology transfer, facilitating the implementation of concrete AI solutions in diverse sectors such as finance, healthcare and the environment.
The Quebec Research and Innovation Strategy 2022-2027 aims to strengthen Quebec's competitiveness in AI through investments in research and development (Government of Quebec, 2025). At the same time, the Life Sciences Strategy 2022-2025 supports innovations in biotechnology and AI applied to healthcare (Government of Quebec, 2022).
The Quebec government has also invested in green AI, notably by supporting projects to optimize the energy consumption of data centers and reduce the carbon footprint of the digital industry (Hydro-Québec, 2022). A program of incubators and funding dedicated to AI startups has also been set up to encourage technological entrepreneurship.
The UAE was the first in the world to create a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence in 2017. Their goal is to integrate AI across all sectors, improve government efficiency and attract the world's best talent (UAE AI Office, 2025). The AI Venture Fund program finances local AI startups, while Dubai Future Accelerators connects startups with government entities (Dubai Future Foundation, 2025).
In September 2023, the UAE released Falcon, a large open source language model, outperforming those of giants such as Meta and Google, strengthening its position in the global AI race (Technology Innovation Institute, 2025). The initiative aims to establish an AI leadership framework by providing researchers and companies with access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced computing resources.
The UAE aims for AI to contribute 14% of its GDP by 2031, or around 145 billion USD injected into the economy (UAE AI Strategy, 2025). In 2024, Dubai unveiled an AI Roadmap, including the appointment of a CEO for AI in each government entity and the creation of an AI and WEB3 incubator, aiming to attract innovators and startups from around the world (Dubai AI Roadmap, 2024).
Abu Dhabi has announced a $3.5 billion investment to integrate AI into government services by 2027, aiming to establish 100% sovereign cloud computing capacity and implement 200 innovative AI solutions (G42, 2025). At the same time, the country plans to create several special economic zones dedicated to AI innovation, attracting high-tech companies from all over the world.
Quebec has opted for a sustainable economic development model based on research, education and innovation. Universities and research institutes, such as Mila and IVADO, are at the heart of this system. Mila, for example, is a world-renowned research center in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning, contributing to the creation of cutting-edge technological solutions to global challenges. Quebec's research ecosystem not only attracts top-level researchers, but also fosters synergy between universities, startups, private companies and government players, providing fertile ground for innovation. This long-term approach fosters the creation of sustainable technologies, while ensuring a direct impact on the economy through the training of a highly qualified workforce. Quebec companies benefit from a framework conducive to fundamental and applied research, with public financial support through initiatives such as the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), which supports technological innovation (HelloDarwin, 2022).
In contrast, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted a more pragmatic strategy geared towards achieving rapid economic results, focusing on attracting foreign investment and optimizing tax policies. The UAE government has created an extremely favorable environment for technology companies, offering tax advantages such as no corporate tax and relaxed regulations for start-ups. This framework is stimulating the rapid growth of the local AI industry, particularly in free zones such as the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO, 2025), where companies benefit from ideal conditions to thrive. In addition, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional hub for technological innovation, attracting global companies to establish their headquarters here to access the Middle East and Southeast Asian market. This approach, while less focused on long-term education than Quebec's, enables the rapid emergence of AI innovation and development centers.
In Quebec, AI is not only stimulating technological sectors, but is also playing a key role in transforming traditional industries such as healthcare, finance and the environment. For example, AI is helping to improve healthcare systems through early detection of disease, or optimizing medical treatment through data analysis algorithms. In finance, AI solutions power investment decision-making processes, analyzing millions of data points in real time to identify market trends. This is generating new career opportunities, especially in data processing, analysis and software development. As a result, Quebec is experiencing a growth in skilled employment in these fields. Furthermore, the introduction of AI in environmental management is helping to design solutions for the sustainable management of natural resources, optimizing energy consumption processes and analyzing climate data to better anticipate natural disasters. (Business, 2021)
For its part, the UAE, which has long been dependent on oil revenues, is looking to diversify its economy to prepare for a future less dependent on fossil fuels. AI is at the heart of this transformation, particularly in sectors such as transport, logistics and security. The Smart Dubai initiative is an emblematic example of this approach: this ambitious vision aims to create a fully connected city, where services are automated and optimized by AI to deliver a better quality of life for its residents. Projects involving autonomous vehicles and AI-powered optimization of public transport systems are part of this initiative, helping to create new jobs in the technology sector. At the same time, the UAE is encouraging the training of an AI-savvy workforce by investing in education programs and partnerships with international academic institutions. Through this strategy, the UAE aspires to become a regional leader in AI and reduce its dependence on the oil sector, while creating a more diversified and sustainable economy. (Government of Dubai, 2025)
Quebec and the UAE illustrate two distinct visions for the development of AI and disruptive technologies: one focused on fundamental research, the other on industrial application and economic attractiveness. While Quebec continues to excel in research and training, the UAE is positioning itself as an innovation hub with immediate impact. These approaches, though different, reveal the transformative potential of AI on a global scale.
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