Department of Government Enablement and Inception partner to advance Abu Dhabi’s AI-native government vision

The Department of Government Enablement (DGE) and Inception have partnered to accelerate Abu Dhabi Government’s ambition to become the world’s first AI-native government by 2027.

Under the agreement, both organisations will develop and deploy advanced AI across core government operations, enhancing agility and responsiveness.

At the heart of the collaboration is (In)Government, a comprehensive product suite that will embed AI into government back-office functions. The initial phase focuses on two foundational pillars: Procurement and Human Capital, with significant scope for expansion into additional domains and use cases.

His Excellency Wesam Lootah, a Director General at DGE, said: “Our collaboration with Inception marks a pivotal step in our journey to build the world’s first AI-native government. This collaboration centres on domain rewiring, which means looking at the entire area of work and asking: If we built this from scratch today using AI, what would it look like?

“Partnerships like these are instrumental to our ambitions, and allow us to push the boundaries of what’s possible with this generational technology. It is not just about improving efficiency; it is about creating a holistic, data-driven ecosystem that empowers every Abu Dhabi Government entity to deliver effortless value to our citizens and residents.”

The Procurement pillar, powered by (In)Procurement, is designed to transform the entire lifecycle – from supplier onboarding to contract analytics. The solution will automate end-to-end supplier registration. It will also introduce virtual purchasing assistants to handle repetitive orders, alongside negotiation copilots and smart request for proposal (RFP) creation tools. These capabilities aim to streamline sourcing while providing real-time insights into demand and performance.

Mawaheb, the Abu Dhabi Government’s national talent platform, is supported by the Human Capital pillar. It utilises Inception’s Talent Enablement Platform to go beyond traditional matching by learning from market outcomes. The system continuously incorporates hiring and retention data into the matching engine, allowing it to refine its models over time. This approach aims to create a dynamic ecosystem that adjusts to what succeeds in the market, effectively aligning Emirati talent with sustainable career opportunities.

As part of the Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy to be the world’s first AI-native government by 2027, DGE has identified, and is already developing, a pipeline of more than 200 AI use cases to roll out across the government. More than 100 are already in use, and the Procurement pillar is expected to enable approximately 25 AI use cases. The Human Capital pillar will unlock at least 10.

Ashish Koshy, CEO of Inception, said: “We are proud to partner with DGE and the Abu Dhabi Government to bring the power of applied AI to the public sector. The (In)Government Suite is designed to deliver tangible and positive impact for government entities by improving productivity, enabling smarter decisions, and enhancing how services are delivered to citizens and residents. It is also a testament to how AI can be deployed responsibly to solve complex challenges and supports the Abu Dhabi Government’s vision of becoming a global hub for public sector innovation, with AI as a foundation.”

The collaboration is a step towards DGE's strategy of domain rewiring, an approach that aims to fundamentally reimagine how governments operate. It involves building business processes from the ground up with AI at the core, leveraging technology and data at scale. It also extends beyond that to include the shifts required in talent reskilling and organisational operating models. Domain rewiring is one of DGE's key initiatives under the government’s AI-native goal.

Procurement and Human Capital mark the first two pillars of the broader (In)Government portfolio, with both organisations expressing strong intent to continue expanding the suite to additional products and use cases in the future. Together, DGE and Inception are setting a new benchmark for how governments can responsibly and effectively harness AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and long-term value.