How should governments keep pace with AI? Leaders from the UAE and Cyprus join futurist Matthew Griffin to discuss turning AI into real public and economic value, and preparing for what comes next.
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About this panel
Thank you to SPP Media for inviting me to join this panel in Cyprus, straight after the individual presentations, including my own keynote, "Who Wins in 2040?" It was a privilege to share the stage with H.E. Mohamed Rashid bin Taliah, who shared the UAE's experience of using agentic AI to transform the public sector in "Agentic AI for Impact: Sharing the UAE Journey", and Deputy Minister Nicodemos Damianou, who connected the international discussion to Cyprus's national AI, innovation and digital transformation priorities. Thank you too to Michalis Sophocleous for moderating and bringing the three perspectives together.
Three complementary views came together. Mine looked at the next wave of AI and emerging technologies and who is set to lead by 2040. The UAE's showed what it looks like when a government puts agentic AI to work in public services. And Cyprus's set out how a smaller nation can turn national AI, innovation and digital priorities into results.
Between us we discussed how governments and societies can respond to the speed of technological change, how to turn AI into meaningful public and economic value, and how to prepare for the opportunities and the risks ahead.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Different starting points, one question.
The panel brought three views together. One looked ahead to 2040, one showed agentic AI at work in UAE public services, and one showed a smaller nation turning priorities into results. Leaders can learn from all three, whatever their size.
Agentic AI is moving into service delivery.
Agentic AI describes systems that decide and act on their own to reach a goal. 311 data puts wide use at 2028, with first products from 2024. Governments are also moving AI from pilots into casework, benefits and tax, so organisations that deal with the state should prepare now.
Value and trust must grow together.
The panel looked at both opportunity and risk. Public trust in AI is falling as use spreads, and 311 rates this as act now. Agentic firewalls, security gates for AI agents, are a technology to explore ahead of first products in 2027.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Where could AI agents act for us within two years?
Who owns the risk when an AI agent makes a decision?
How will we earn public trust as our AI use grows?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It shows that AI is becoming a matter of delivery, not demonstration. Governments and firms must turn AI into public and economic value while preparing for the risks. Leaders should decide where AI acts for them and how they will govern it.
How does AI in public services relate to this panel?
The UAE shared how agentic AI is used in its public sector. 311 tracks governments moving AI from pilots into casework, benefits, tax and daily civil service work, with wide use expected by 2028.
How does public AI distrust relate to this panel?
The panel covered preparing for risks as well as opportunities. 311 data shows public trust in AI falling as use spreads, which fuels calls for regulation and local resistance. Trust is part of delivering value.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
311 offers a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. Sessions are held in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
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