How DEWA Became the UAE's Most Advanced AI-Native Government Employer
By Chris Weinmann, Founder, OVI
In May 2026, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority became the first UAE government entity to deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork — a tool that lets employees delegate complex, multi-step tasks to AI across email, meetings, and file management while retaining full oversight. The move cemented DEWA's position as the Arab world's most advanced AI-native government employer, nearly a decade after its first investment in artificial intelligence.
Under the leadership of MD & CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, DEWA has built an AI infrastructure that now spans employee self-service, internal operations, and professional development. Its trajectory offers a blueprint for government utilities worldwide seeking to modernise workforce operations without displacing human decision-making.
From early adopter to AI-native: DEWA's nine-year journey
DEWA began integrating artificial intelligence into its operations in 2017, making it among the first utility companies globally to invest in AI-powered systems. What started as an experiment in customer-facing chatbots has evolved into a comprehensive agentic AI strategy that touches every major division.
The centrepiece of this evolution is Rammas — DEWA's AI-powered virtual employee. Originally deployed to handle external customer enquiries, Rammas has processed more than 10.6 million total inquiries, with 1.6 million handled in 2025 alone. These figures reflect not just customer adoption but an organisational commitment to scaling AI interactions across service channels.
Rammas for Work: AI inside every division
The internal deployment — Rammas for Work — marks a fundamental shift. Rather than confining AI to a customer support widget, DEWA integrated the system across HR, Billing, Legal Affairs, Generation, Distribution Power, Transmission Power, Business Development, and Water & Civil divisions.
For HR teams specifically, Rammas for Work handles employee enquiries on policies, leave balances, and compliance procedures — tasks that previously required manual processing by HR generalists. Generative AI has been integrated into HR services, security policies, governance and compliance workflows, financial data analysis, and IT support.
This cross-divisional deployment means a single AI system serves as both an HR assistant and an operational tool, reducing the fragmentation that plagues most government organisations still running parallel systems for different departments.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork: the first-mover advantage
DEWA's adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot in early 2024 already reduced task completion times from days to hours. But the May 2026 upgrade to Copilot Cowork represents a qualitative leap: employees can now delegate complex multi-step workflows — composing meeting follow-ups, synthesising cross-departmental reports, managing file organisation — to AI agents while maintaining full oversight of outputs.
Being the first UAE government entity to adopt this tool gives DEWA a structural advantage in employee productivity. Government workforces typically operate under rigid process requirements; an AI layer that handles procedural tasks while preserving human approval chains directly addresses the bureaucratic overhead that slows public-sector operations.
LinkedIn Learning integration: closing the skills loop
The third layer of DEWA's AI strategy addresses capability development. By integrating LinkedIn Learning into its employee development ecosystem, DEWA connects AI-driven productivity tools with structured upskilling pathways. Employees using AI tools daily are simultaneously building the competencies needed to use them more effectively — creating a reinforcing loop rather than the common pattern where AI tools outpace workforce readiness.
This is particularly significant given that DEWA's approach aligns with the UAE AI Strategy 2031's emphasis on demonstrating measurable workforce capability uplift, not just technology deployment. DEWA's integration of learning platforms alongside productivity tools pre-empts the skills gap that typically follows rapid AI adoption.
The world's first AI-native utility
DEWA has publicly stated its goal of becoming the world's first AI-native utility — a designation that extends beyond scattered tool deployments to describe an organisation where AI is embedded in operational architecture rather than layered on top.
Evidence of this ambition includes DEWA's Agentic AI Executive Retreat, held at the organisation's Al Shera'a headquarters, which brought senior leadership together to define the next phase of autonomous AI deployment across digital platforms. The event signalled an intentional shift from individual productivity tools toward agentic systems that can operate across organisational boundaries with appropriate oversight.
This strategic posture aligns with the UAE AI Strategy 2031, which positions artificial intelligence as a foundational element of government service delivery and workforce development. DEWA's approach — combining proven AI assistants (Rammas), enterprise productivity tools (Copilot Cowork), and development infrastructure (LinkedIn Learning) — demonstrates how a single government entity can operationalise national AI ambitions at the employee level.
What this means for HR leaders
DEWA's model offers three lessons for HR leaders considering AI-native transformations:
Start with service, scale to strategy. DEWA began with a customer-facing chatbot in 2017, proved value, then expanded internally. The nine-year timeline demonstrates that AI-native status is a destination, not a deployment.
Integrate across divisions, not in silos. Rammas for Work spans eight divisions, creating a single AI layer rather than department-specific tools competing for budget and attention.
Pair AI tools with learning infrastructure. The LinkedIn Learning integration ensures employees develop alongside the tools, preventing the skills gap that undermines AI ROI in most organisations.
For government utilities and large public-sector employers watching the UAE's AI trajectory, DEWA is no longer an experiment. It is the working model.
What is DEWA's Rammas for Work?
Rammas for Work is DEWA's internal AI-powered virtual employee deployed across HR, Billing, Legal Affairs, Generation, Distribution Power, Transmission Power, Business Development, and Water & Civil divisions. It handles employee enquiries on policies, compliance procedures, and operational tasks, having processed over 10.6 million total inquiries across internal and external deployments.
Why is DEWA's Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork adoption significant?
In May 2026, DEWA became the first UAE government entity to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. The tool enables employees to delegate complex multi-step tasks — such as composing meeting follow-ups, synthesising reports, and managing files — to AI while retaining full oversight, reducing task completion from days to hours.
What is DEWA's goal regarding AI integration?
DEWA aims to become the world's first AI-native utility, aligned with the UAE AI Strategy 2031. This means embedding AI into operational architecture across every division rather than treating it as a supplementary tool layered on top of existing processes.
When did DEWA begin its AI journey?
DEWA began integrating artificial intelligence into its operations in 2017, making it among the first utility companies globally to invest in AI-powered systems. The journey has progressed from customer-facing chatbots to comprehensive agentic AI deployment across all major divisions.
How does DEWA's AI strategy address employee skills development?
DEWA integrates LinkedIn Learning into its employee development ecosystem alongside AI productivity tools. This creates a reinforcing loop where employees using AI tools daily simultaneously build the competencies needed to operate them effectively, pre-empting the skills gap that typically follows rapid AI adoption.