MBZUAI to launch lab at UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a new AI lab within the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).  

Signed by Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Undersecretary of MOCCAE, and Sami Haddadin, MBZUAI’s VP of Research and Professor of Robotics, the agreement marks the launch of MOCCAE’s first ever AI lab, which will drive innovation in environmental, agricultural, and climate-related AI solutions. 

“We’re proud to contribute to the UAE’s stewardship across advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. By creating an AI lab within the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the potential and promise of AI for good – especially to support the nation deliver its food security strategy, ” says Haddadin.  

There are numerous potential AI use cases in the field of agricultural sustainability, including smart irrigation and crop planning to improve yield and resource efficiency; real-time air and water quality monitoring; climate risk prediction and carbon tracking; and agri-robots to boost productivity. 

Among MBZUAI’s existing work in this area is an AI-powered strawberry-picking robot that is designed to address challenges in global agriculture. Its precision harvesting can potentially reduce waste and enhance efficiency and productivity via round-the-clock operation, while also providing data-driven farming intelligence by conducting field surveys and counting yield estimation. 

Another project, run in partnership with IBM, uses AI to monitor, model, and visualize climate change more effectively to provide decision-makers with more precise data – especially regarding the urban heat island effect (UHI).  

UHI is a localized form of climate change that occurs in densely developed areas. The AI tools developed by MBZUAI analyze satellite imagery to map urban surface temperatures and identify hotspots and vulnerable areas, gaining insights that will help guide urban greening efforts.  

“MBZUAI is deeply committed to environmental and agricultural sustainability, and many of our faculty and students are working on projects that could have a profound impact on the UAE and around the world.”