Emarat and Microsoft Chart Course for AI-Enabled Workforce Transformation

The UAE's leading petroleum company embraces artificial intelligence as a catalyst for enterprise readiness, aligning workforce development with the nation's ambition to become a global AI leader.

Within the evolving landscape of the UAE’s digital economy, Emirates Petroleum Company P.J.S.C. (Emarat) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft to explore how artificial intelligence can fundamentally reshape workforce productivity and strengthen enterprise readiness across the organisation. The collaboration represents a deliberate commitment to preparing people, workflows and technology infrastructure for the responsible adoption of advanced technologies.

The partnership directly supports Emarat’s vision of becoming a digital pioneer within its sector whilst contributing to the UAE National AI Strategy 2031, which seeks to position the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence. Under the framework, Emarat and Microsoft will examine how productivity tools, knowledge work capabilities and collaborative technologies can benefit the workforce. Microsoft will provide strategic guidance, best practices and educational sessions exploring transformation opportunities, whilst also assessing priority business scenarios where AI agents and automation might generate measurable value.

Burhan Al Hashemi, Chief Executive Officer of Emarat, articulated the company’s measured approach to technological change: “At Emarat, we are focused on creating the conditions for our workforce to understand, adopt and benefit from emerging technologies in a secure and responsible way. Our collaboration with Microsoft gives us a structured framework to explore how AI can strengthen productivity, decision-making and long-term business value.” He emphasised that this initiative forms part of Emarat’s broader ambition to build a more adaptive organisation whilst contributing to the UAE’s progress towards an AI-enabled economy.

Governance and Human-Centred Transformation

Central to this collaboration is a commitment to secure, responsible and governed AI adoption. Microsoft intends to share comprehensive security frameworks and responsible AI principles, alongside recommendations for safe capability deployment. This governance-first approach ensures Emarat manages data protection, usage responsibility and enterprise readiness with structured oversight. The agreement recognises that technology transformation ultimately depends upon employee readiness and cultural understanding, placing significant emphasis on workforce skilling and change management.

Microsoft plans to provide access to learning resources, including training materials, global adoption frameworks and tailored learning pathways, potentially complemented by educational workshops covering AI features, responsible usage and workplace readiness. Emarat will lead internal adoption efforts, coordinating staff communications and integrating AI skilling into existing learning and development programmes. This partnership reflects a growing recognition within the UAE’s private sector of the importance of workforce development alongside technological advancement, as demonstrated through broader initiatives supporting labour market excellence and workplace initiatives.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

This collaboration signals Emarat’s commitment to positioning the UAE’s energy sector at the forefront of AI-driven innovation. By establishing a structured framework for responsible AI adoption, the company strengthens the UAE’s capability to embed advanced technologies across critical national sectors, directly supporting the vision outlined in the UAE National AI Strategy 2031. The emphasis on secure governance and workforce readiness demonstrates how the energy industry can serve as a model for other organisations navigating digital transformation.

For the UAE’s broader economic development, Emarat’s approach exemplifies how leading private sector organisations are integrating advanced technologies whilst prioritising human capital development and governance standards. This balanced strategy contributes to the nation’s ambition to build an AI-enabled economy that creates value through innovation whilst maintaining robust oversight and employee engagement, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a thoughtful leader in technological adoption across key industries.

Source: WAM