UAE Announces Google Gemini as the Most Culturally Accurate AI for Arab Communities, Ranking First in Groundbreaking National Evaluation
The UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office announced that Google Gemini has secured the top position in the “AI in the Ring” Index, the world’s first benchmarking system designed specifically to measure the cultural intelligence of large language models. This pioneering initiative evaluates how effectively advanced AI systems understand, reflect, and respect Emirati identity, cultural values, traditions, dialects, and social context. The UAE launched the benchmark to ensure that rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technologies continue to align with regional heritage and national priorities as digital transformation accelerates worldwide.
A First-of-Its-Kind Cultural Evaluation Framework
The AI in the Ring Index was created to analyze the ability of AI models to engage with locally relevant knowledge in ways that are culturally grounded, contextually accurate, and socially responsible. While AI performance is commonly measured using technical benchmarks such as reasoning, creativity, or mathematical capability, this benchmark shifts attention to a new challenge — cultural intelligence.
The evaluation focused on determining whether language models could:
- Interpret and respond accurately to Emirati dialects and expressions
- Demonstrate understanding of traditions, customs, and national values
- Reflect the social norms and cultural nuances of UAE society
- Avoid stereotyping or misrepresentation
- Provide sensitive, respectful, and context-aware responses
- Support cultural preservation through accurate knowledge representation
The project position the UAE as a leader in the global movement toward responsible and culturally inclusive AI development.
Performance Summary and Ranking Results
Google’s Gemini earned the highest ranking after a rigorous evaluation process, which included:
- Over 400 culturally relevant questions
- Examining responses across 7 cultural dimensions
- 5,200 generated answers from 11 of the world’s most advanced language models
- A committee of Emirati experts specializing in culture, language, education, religion, and AI reviewing outputs for accuracy, depth, and cultural respect
The result placed Gemini 2.5 Pro at the top of the index, demonstrating the strongest capabilities in cultural comprehension and alignment with UAE-specific values.
Following Gemini, the top performing models included:
- ChatGPT (OpenAI GPT-4o)
- ChatGPT (OpenAI o1) — OpenAI’s reasoning-focused system
- Cohere
- Grok
The evaluation represented a milestone in AI benchmarking, shifting the global conversation from performance alone to include ethical cultural awareness and identity preservation.
A National Vision Centered on Cultural Integrity
His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, emphasized the importance of protecting cultural identity as next-generation technologies become deeply integrated into society. He stated that innovation can only be truly meaningful when it remains connected to the nation’s history, values, and social fabric. The UAE’s ambition, he noted, is to lead a future where digital progress strengthens — rather than dilutes — identity and heritage.
His Excellency highlighted that national identity remains a top priority for the UAE, especially as the country positions itself at the forefront of global AI adoption. As artificial intelligence becomes a dominant source of information and a foundation of productivity, creativity, and education, it must accurately represent local cultures to maintain clarity, respect, and understanding. The Minister stressed that technology must evolve within the ethical and cultural guardrails set by society, not outside them.
The Critical Importance of Culturally Grounded AI
The announcement comes during a pivotal global conversation about the role artificial intelligence plays in shaping public knowledge, guiding youth learning habits, and influencing the way history and cultural narratives are preserved. The UAE underscored several compelling factors driving urgency in this area.
A key concern is that less than 5% of Arabic content is currently available in digital form, despite Arabic being one of the most spoken languages in the world. This scarcity creates a risk that global AI systems may be trained on incomplete or inaccurate datasets, resulting in weak cultural understanding, Western-biased outputs, or misrepresentations of Arab and Emirati identity.
At the same time, 48% of Generation Z now relies on AI as their primary information source, shaping how they learn about their history, values, and community. As Al Olama explained, when nearly half of young people depend on AI for knowledge and decision-making, ensuring accurate representation becomes a national imperative. Without culturally aware AI systems, future generations may inherit distorted versions of their heritage.
The AI in the Ring Index therefore represents not only a technological benchmark but also a strategic cultural preservation effort. By evaluating large language models on their ability to meaningfully interpret Emirati culture, the UAE is creating a global precedent — proving that AI can and must be built in service to identity, not at the expense of it.
A Model for Responsible Global AI Development
Through this initiative, the UAE is sending a strong message to governments, developers, and technology companies: AI must evolve within a framework of ethics, respect, and cultural humility. The benchmark encourages developers to create systems that are:
- Inclusive geographically and culturally
- Accurate and fair across global populations
- Capable of understanding local values, not just global generalities
- Supportive of linguistic diversity rather than homogenization
- Transparent, accountable, and context-aware
Many AI systems excel in English but struggle significantly with multilingual or culturally specific requests. The AI in the Ring Index challenges this imbalance directly by demonstrating that technology leaders who invest in culturally grounded training can better serve diverse societies.
A Future of Technology that Amplifies Identity
The UAE continues to position itself as a global center for digital policy and AI regulation that empowers societies rather than divides them. The findings from this benchmark will contribute to future national strategies, academic research, and collaboration between governments and AI companies.
The success of Google Gemini in this evaluation also encourages deeper cooperation between technology developers and regional cultural institutions, potentially leading to:
- Improved dataset development that includes regional history and language resources
- Culturally specialized training and fine-tuning for global AI models
- Local-AI initiatives led by educational and research partners
- Expanded representation of Emirati and Arab culture across digital platforms
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