Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has commenced celebrations marking its fifth anniversary with a ceremony attended by His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees, alongside MBZUAI Board of Trustees members Rima Al Mokarrab, Peng Xiao, and MBZUAI President and University Professor Eric Xing.
Celebrated under the theme Pioneering Tomorrow: AI, Science and Humanity, the milestone marks the five-year period from 2020-2025, since the world’s first AI university welcomed its first cohort of students in 2020.
His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of MBZUAI’s Board of Trustees, said: “Over the past five years, MBZUAI has evolved from an ambitious vision into a cornerstone of the UAE’s identity as a global AI leader. Our journey has been about more than academic excellence; it is about building the intellectual infrastructure required to power a knowledge-driven economy. By attracting and cultivating world-class talent and pioneering research that addresses real-world challenges, MBZUAI is ensuring that Abu Dhabi and the UAE are primary architects of an AI-enabled future. As we look ahead, our commitment remains clear: to harness the transformative power of AI to serve humanity, drive sustainable growth, and solidify Abu Dhabi’s position at the heart of the world’s AI map.”
Professor Eric Xing, MBZUAI President and University Professor, said: “MBZUAI was established as part of the UAE’s long-term vision to position artificial intelligence as foundational infrastructure for a knowledge-driven economy. In five years, we have achieved leading global research rankings and helped extend the frontier of AI through initiatives such as the Institute of Foundation Models. As we enter our next phase, we are scaling MBZUAI into a comprehensive research university across disciplines including life sciences, natural sciences, advanced computing, and fundamental sciences, In doing so, we aim to shape how AI advances science, strengthens economies, and generates positive impact on climate, energy, public health, education, industry, and society at large.”
The university is currently ranked 10th globally in CSRankings across its core specialisations, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, robotics, and computational biology. Further reinforcing its international standing, MBZUAI was recently recognised among the top 50 organisations advancing the global artificial intelligence frontier at NeurIPS 2025. This reputation for excellence is underpinned by a world-class academic community of 116 faculty members, nearly half of whom joined from the world’s top 100 AI institutions, and a student body of 653 researchers representing 59 nationalities.
A defining milestone in MBZUAI’s five-year journey has been its transition from a graduate-level institution into a comprehensive university, marked by the 2025 launch of its first undergraduate programme. To support this evolution, MBZUAI has expanded to eight academic departments, creating a robust multidisciplinary ecosystem. Alongside its founding pillars of Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Natural Language Processing, the university has established departments in Robotics and Computer Science, as well as newly launched disciplines including Human-Computer Interaction, Statistics and Data Science, and Computational Biology. This expansion enables a holistic approach to AI education, bridging foundational theory with real-world applications across healthcare, engineering, and the social sciences.
The impact of this academic rigor is reflected in MBZUAI’s 318 alumni, who are now driving AI adoption across the global economy. While 44 per cent of graduates have entered research careers, 29 per cent have joined data and technology sectors, with others leading innovation across healthcare, defense, security, logistics, government, and energy.
Expanding its research footprint, the university established the Institute of Foundation Models (IFM), with laboratories spanning Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris. IFM has pioneered world-leading systems including K2-Think, among the world’s fastest reasoning systems, and Jais 2, a leading open-weight Arabic large language model.
Complementing these research achievements, the MBZUAI Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) serves as a critical bridge between academic excellence and commercial impact. As Abu Dhabi continues to emerge as a global innovation hub, underscored by the UAE’s fifth place ranking in the Stanford Global AI Power Rankings 2025, IEC supports founders through targeted workshops, mentorship, and access to funding. In 2025, the centre supported 88 undergraduate and 17 postgraduate students, with 30 startup ideas pitched following more than 150 hours of mentorship and coaching.
Following the anniversary ceremony, MBZUAI is hosting a week-long programme of on-campus events, installations, and strategic initiatives, including the launch of The Academy at MBZUAI, a new public-facing hub dedicated to expanding AI knowledge beyond the classroom while convening leading global thinkers to explore the intersection of AI, science, and the humanities. The launch included the announcement of winning capstone projects from the previous cohort and the 2026 AI × Arts Fellowship, offering year-long residencies focused on tool engagement, creative practice, and cultural immersion; The formation of MBZUAI’s Academic Advisory Board, bringing together international luminaries from the fields of science and technology; Special Collections and Art Collection Preview, a preview of MBZUAI’s Special Collections and Art Collection will be showcased on campus and at the Bassam Freiha Foundation. Documenting the historical development of scientific knowledge and its cultural interpretation through artistic practice, the collections provide an intellectual and material framework for research and teaching, situating contemporary AI work within a longer history of mathematical reasoning, experimental science, and machine-based methods.
Other parts of the programme include the Abu Dhabi Edge Summit, a high-level gathering of 150 leading scholars, CTOs, and global executives focused on advancing research, entrepreneurship, and the future of Edge Al; HPP Global Conference with Nature, set to be hosted on campus from 4–5 February 2026, this inaugural conference explores The Human Phenotype Project: From Deep-Phenotype Data to Personalized Medicine in partnership with Nature, bringing together global leaders in biomedical science and AI; the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Showcase, featuring eight live demonstrations of AI prototypes developed by undergraduate student teams, ranging from research tools to startup-ready solutions; Alumni-Led Initiatives, a series of workshops, awards, and panel discussions welcoming MBZUAI’s alumni back to campus as leaders and contributors to the global AI ecosystem; a Distinguished Lecture Series, comprising keynote sessions featuring renowned global scholars, including Sir Michael Brady, Emeritus Professor of Oncological Imaging at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Professor of Computer Vision at MBZUAI, and Michael Spence, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences.
The National Development Programs will also be part of the activations, which will include community initiatives such as WAI and Mailis that will feature prominently in the five-year anniversary programming, connecting generations through technology. WAI equips youth and seniors with foundational AI knowledge, while Mailis uses storytelling and hands-on interaction to support the Year of the Family through shared learning. The Commemorative Anniversary Video will be a video tracing MBZUAI’s evolution and global impact through interviews with founding and current leadership.
The final two initiatives will be the Commemorative Honors, the release of a UAE Central Bank commemorative coin, an Emirates Post anniversary stamp, and a special anniversary passport stamp for travelers arriving in Abu Dhabi, and a Mascot Unveiling, the introduction of the Dugong as MBZUAI’s official mascot, symbolising Abu Dhabi’s natural heritage and the University’s commitment to environmental stewardship through its AI for Climate initiatives.
