The UAE’s AI-Coin Project

The United Arab Emirates has built its reputation on being a country that moves early on in the future. This could be through smart cities, paperless government systems or digital banking. It has positioned technology as part of everyday life and now it is giving tech drive a symbolic anchor in the country. A national coin designed project using generative AI was announced and at first it might appear decorative, but when you unpack it alongside the UAE’s broader digital economy strategy, what emerges is a concrete moment in the making of digital citizenship.

Data, Strategy & the Stakes at Play

According to a PwC estimate, artificial intelligence is set to contribute about US$96 billion to the UAE economy by 2030, accounting for roughly 13.6 % of GDP. The official UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 places AI at the centre of economic and social transformation, targeting sectors like energy, healthcare, logistics and tourism. In that context, the coin competition launched on National Code Day is more than a novelty but a practical demonstration of how policy, technology and public participation intersect.

By inviting citizens and creatives to design the coin using AI tools, the UAE is sending three subtle signals. First, that the future of tech isn’t just built by specialists. It's open to regular users. Second, that national identity now includes digital components. And finally, that the government sees innovation as a collaborative act rather than a top-down programme. The coin, once minted, will be a physical manifestation of these ideas and a patriotic way to say we are a tech nation, and you are part of it.

Why It Matters Beyond the UAE

Globally, the digital transformation story is often told in terms of powerhouses like Silicon Valley, Shenzhen or Bengaluru. The UAE’s move matters because it reframes digital transformation through the lens of a small, resource-rich state that is combining capital, regulation and national strategy at scale. Its infrastructure credentials are strong, for example, the UAE scored 100 % in the UN E-Government Survey’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Index and led global rankings in mobile download speed (average of 546 Mbps in June 2025).

For the Global South and emerging economies, there is a practical lesson here that digital transformation doesn’t have to mirror high-cost Silicon Valley models. Instead, it can be built through state-led infrastructure, public-private collaboration, and citizen engagement. The coin-design competition is small in scale, but symbolically it speaks to a broader shift: technology as shared experience, digital assets as national assets, and citizens as participants.

A Coin That Reflects a Digital Nation

When the winning design is finally minted and enters circulation, it may look like a simple coin, but it will carry heavier meaning. It will mark a moment where technology became embedded in national narrative, where public engagement met state strategy, and where the future of citizenship included the code, the cloud, the algorithm.

In essence, Tunisia, Kenya, Ghana or Brazil may not be watching a single coin mint in Abu Dhabi, but they are watching the model of how a nation uses digital tools not only to build infrastructure but to build identity, to invite participation, and to reposition itself on the global stage, because in the 21st century, developing countries are not merely adapting to technology, they are redefining what it means to be digital, sovereign and human.

Chloe Maluleke

Associate at BRICS+ Consulting Group 

Russia & Middle East Specialist

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