Dubai Ranks Second Globally in the Smart Cities Index

Dubai ranked second globally in the Smart Cities Index released by the Boston Consulting Group, which covered 61 cities across 39 countries, an achievement that reflects its global leadership in adopting modern technologies and artificial intelligence.

The index, published for the first time by the Boston Consulting Group, is one of the global benchmarks measuring the maturity of cities in leveraging digital technologies and artificial intelligence to achieve tangible impacts on residents’ lives and the business sector.

It is based on an assessment of 61 major cities worldwide, according to five core pillars: Outcomes, Strategy, Adoption, Ways of Working, and Enablers, along with 35 sub-indicators covering 14 aspects of digital transformation, providing a comprehensive evaluation of cities’ capacity to harness technology for sustainable development and enhanced competitiveness.

The report noted that Dubai leads global cities in the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and smart city solutions, recording the highest performance levels among the index’s pillars, thanks to the expansion of AI applications and smart digital services across various sectors.

This advanced level of AI and smart city solution adoption has contributed to Dubai achieving one of the highest levels of digital maturity among the cities included in the report, underscoring the success of its approach in transforming technology into practical services and solutions that deliver direct impact on people’s lives and businesses.

Commenting on the occasion, Hamad Al Mansouri, Director General of the Dubai Digital Authority, said: “This high global ranking reflects the success of our wise leadership’s vision, which has positioned digital transformation and artificial intelligence as strategic choices for building a more efficient government and a city better prepared for the future. What Dubai has achieved today is not the result of isolated projects, but rather the outcome of an integrated digital ecosystem built on data, shared digital infrastructure, and collaboration among government entities and across all sectors, enabling the conversion of advanced technologies into services and solutions that create tangible impacts on people’s lives and enhance economic competitiveness.”

He added: “In Dubai, we view artificial intelligence as a means to elevate quality of life, simplify services, and empower the economy, not merely as an emerging technology. Therefore, we will continue investing in developing shared digital infrastructure and enhancing the use of data and AI across various sectors, thereby solidifying Dubai’s position as a global model for building future cities.”

For his part, Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “This ranking embodies the fruit of the forward-looking approach adopted by Dubai, which focuses on transforming future technologies into practical applications that serve humanity and the economy. Leadership in artificial intelligence is not measured by the number of technologies adopted, but by their ability to create real impact on people’s lives, boost productivity, and open new horizons for growth and innovation.”

He added: “Dubai continues its journey toward establishing a global model for future foresight by building an integrated system that combines innovation, research and development, flexible regulations, and effective partnerships, thereby accelerating the deployment of AI across various sectors and enhancing the city’s readiness to seize future opportunities and create new models of sustainable development.”

The report showed that cities integrating artificial intelligence into the core of their services and operations achieve faster and more sustainable results in improving quality of life and enhancing service efficiency. It also indicated that leading cities in adopting AI have a greater number of practical use cases and achieve higher levels of resident satisfaction, reflecting the growing shift toward employing AI as a fundamental component of urban operational infrastructure, rather than merely as a supporting technology.

The report further highlighted a strong correlation between the frequent use of generative AI tools and increased public trust in these technologies, as well as positive perceptions of their role in the future. It noted that cities in the Middle East region, including Dubai, are recording high levels of enthusiasm for adopting and leveraging AI applications.