UAE and WEF Launch Global Regulatory Platform (Grip) for AI Governance

Launch Details

Grip was launched in Geneva on July 4, 2025, through a strategic partnership between the World Economic Forum and the UAE’s General Secretariat of the Cabinet. It was created to address the accelerating gap between outdated regulatory systems and exponential technological advancement. Grip functions under the C4IR umbrella, serving as a central node for global dialogue, technical experimentation, and collaborative policymaking.

Objectives and Deliverables

Grip will deliver the following over a two-year roadmap:

• A Global Regulatory Playbook – with real-world case studies, frameworks, and tools to guide tech-adaptive governance across AI, fintech, healthtech, and biotech.
• A Regulatory Future Readiness Index – to benchmark countries’ preparedness to govern emerging technologies, based on digital infrastructure, policy flexibility, and institutional capacity.
• A Global Regulatory Innovation Hub – a pilot environment where governments, startups, and enterprises can test and refine regulation before deployment at scale.

Grip enables multistakeholder participation, transparency, and open access to policy toolkits, diagnostics, and outcomes—positioning itself as a “think-do tank” that facilitates not only strategy but live regulatory experimentation.

Global Significance

Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, emphasized the need for anticipatory governance: “Innovation moves fast—regulation must too.” Grip helps nations shift from reactive to proactive policymaking, closing regulatory gaps and preventing fragmentation. With regulatory trust declining and global standards diverging, Grip creates space for coherent, ethics-driven, and tech-aligned regulation.

UAE’s Strategic Leadership in AI

• In 2017, the UAE appointed the world’s first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, reflecting long-term commitment to digital transformation.
• It launched MBZUAI, the first AI-specific graduate university, and a National AI Strategy positioning AI at the center of public policy.
• In 2026, the National AI System will be installed as an official advisory member of the UAE Cabinet and ministerial boards—marking the formal integration of AI into institutional governance.
• The UAE uses AI-based simulations in legislative forecasting and has already saved billions in operational costs through automation and e-government services.
• The country continues to lead in smart governance, ranking among the most digitally advanced states globally.

Global Empowerment of Legislators

Her Excellency Maryam Al Hammadi underlined Grip’s role in building capacity among regulators. By providing AI-driven analytics, collaborative policy sandboxes, and live use-case environments, Grip equips policymakers worldwide with the necessary infrastructure to regulate fast-changing tech. The initiative also emphasizes inclusion, ethics, and cross-cultural adaptability in regulation.

Institutional and Strategic Partnerships

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG) contributes strategic modeling and implementation frameworks as Grip’s primary knowledge partner.
• The platform is supported by the WEF’s Industry Communities and Chief Legal and Compliance Officers Community, offering vertical-specific insights and governance foresight.
• Grip is expanding through regional policy labs across Africa, Asia, and Europe, adapting its tools to local legal traditions, economic conditions, and cultural factors.
• Backed by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), Grip leverages a network of national and thematic hubs to align regulation with exponential technologies such as generative AI, neurotech, and quantum computing.

Leadership Perspectives on AI Governance

Leadership thinkers provide practical roadmaps for aligning regulatory transformation with executive behavior, organizational culture, and ethical deployment:

• Lord Tim Clement-Jones (UK House of Lords)
  • Encourage proactive governance frameworks before formal regulation lands.
  • Map differences in global AI regulations and prepare adaptive compliance models.
  • Integrate AI ethics into corporate strategy, not just compliance.
• Dr. David Bray (LeadDoAdapt Ventures / Stimson Center)
  • Promote co-creation of AI systems with staff to surface use cases and risks.
  • Select the right “AI flavor”—deterministic vs. generative—based on business needs.
  • Build scenario-based response plans for fast-changing regulatory or cybersecurity contexts.
• Melody Wilding (Hunter College)
  • Use power-mapping to align initiatives with influential stakeholders beyond the C-suite.
  • Ensure performance metrics align with leadership priorities.
  • Build cross-functional support networks to scale AI initiatives across departments.

Together, these frameworks support Grip’s mission to build inclusive, scalable, and values-driven policy systems for the Intelligent Age.

Why This Matters

Grip is more than a policy platform—it’s a blueprint for how global governance can evolve alongside transformative technology. It brings together institutions, executives, and civil society to shape regulations that are inclusive, iterative, and technologically relevant. As governments struggle to regulate at the speed of innovation, Grip serves as a collaborative infrastructure to anticipate risks, enable experimentation, and drive harmonized global policy. With rising geopolitical tension, public distrust, and fragmented regulation, Grip may prove critical in restoring legitimacy and ethical direction in the AI era.