Abu Dhabi Deploys OpenAI Technology to Accelerate Food Import Clearance Procedures

Abu Dhabi's Department of Government Enablement announced that a project with OpenAI has reduced complex food import approvals from several days to minutes. The system uses machine-readable regulations to conduct initial automated compliance checks while human officials retain final decision-making authority. The project is the first pilot under the emirate's Machine-Readable Government initiative and will expand to building permits and business licenses.

Published November 11, 2026 Source: EnterpriseAM

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Issuing authority: Abu Dhabi Department of Government Enablement
Jurisdiction: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Official document: Machine-Readable Government
Official source: news.google.com

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Abu Dhabi's Department of Government Enablement (DGE) reported that a collaboration between the Abu Dhabi government and OpenAI has reduced the processing time for complex food import cases from a few days to a week down to minutes, EnterpriseAM reported. The project commenced earlier this year and was formally announced as part of several OpenAI agreements signed by the Abu Dhabi government.

Faisal Al Hawi, director of DGE's AI Factory, stated that thousands of regulatory policy documents governing food imports have been converted into machine-readable formats. The OpenAI technology reviews each incoming import application against applicable rules and generates initial findings for government officials, who make the final decisions on permit issuances. Al Hawi noted that artificial intelligence performs the heavy lifting in processing regulatory criteria.

The food import verification platform represents the initial pilot under Abu Dhabi's broader Machine-Readable Government system. DGE stated that upcoming phases will target additional public administrative services, including building permits, business licenses, and official inspections.