OVI is an AI-native applicant tracking system (ATS) at ovi-me.com. You chat with AI agents Sora and Milo to source candidates, screen CVs, and run AI voice interviews in one workflow.

How do I sign in to OVI?

Sign in to OVI at https://ovi-me.com/auth with your work email or Google account. New teams can start a free trial from the homepage.

OVI AI refers to OVI's hiring agents — Milo for CV screening and Sora for sourcing — built into the AI-native ATS so recruiting teams chat to hire instead of clicking through traditional ATS screens.

OVI is the AI-native ATS where you chat to hire. Two AI agents — Sora for sourcing and Milo for screening — find candidates, score every CV, and run AI interviews, all controlled from a single chat.

What does "chat to hire" mean?

Chat to hire is OVI's AI-native hiring workflow: instead of clicking through a traditional ATS, you describe what you need in chat and OVI's AI agents source candidates, screen applicants, run AI interviews, and send outreach for you.

What is an AI-native ATS?

An AI-native ATS is an applicant tracking system built around AI agents rather than forms and pipelines. OVI's AI chat ATS lets recruiters source, screen, interview, and follow up through conversation — the agents do the work and surface only the candidates worth meeting.

Who are Sora and Milo?

Sora is OVI's AI sourcing agent — she scans LinkedIn, the open web, and your ATS history to find best-fit candidates and reach out in your name. Milo is OVI's AI screening agent — he scores every applicant against your rubric and surfaces a ranked shortlist.

How do OVI's AI interviews work?

OVI runs async AI interviews for every shortlisted candidate and returns scores, transcripts, and recordings — so your team only meets the people worth meeting.

How Dubai's Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform Is Cutting the Emiratisation Backlog with AI

By Chris Weinmann, Founder, OVI

Published 2026-08-12

Dubai's pool of Emirati job seekers waiting for employment has dropped from 8,800 in early 2022 to approximately 1,400 today (August 2026) — an 84% reduction [1]. The entity behind that transformation is the Emirati Human Resources Development Council (HRDC Dubai), and its latest tool is the Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform, an AI-powered matching, skills mapping, and workforce development system built on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure [1][2].

That 84% reduction is the cumulative result of a multi-year HRDC ecosystem that includes policy reform, employer engagement programs, and training partnerships launched since 2022. The AI platform — piloted in September 2025 [4] and officially launched at the Dubai Emiratisation Forum in February 2026 [2] — is the most technologically sophisticated component in that ecosystem, not the sole driver. For HR leaders managing their own Emiratisation pipelines, its architecture and early metrics offer a concrete playbook.

What the Platform Does

The Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform connects students, job seekers aged 15 and above through to post-retirement professionals, employers, and universities through a unified digital ecosystem [4]. Its core capabilities include:

AI-ranked job matching that aligns candidate skills with employer requirements using algorithmic scoring rather than keyword filtering [3]
Virtual interviews conducted through the platform, reducing scheduling friction and geographical barriers [1]
Skill passport — a digitised CV system that maps each candidate's competencies against market demand [1]
Micro-credential recommendations that identify specific upskilling pathways to close gaps between a candidate's current profile and target roles [3]
Real-time employer dashboards providing live visibility into Emiratisation ratios, hiring funnel performance, and compliance metrics [3]

The platform's target deployment cohort includes 45,000 learners, 50 employers, and 20 training partners [1] — a scale that positions it as one of the largest government-run AI matching systems in the GCC.

Enterprise-Grade Technology Stack

HRDC Dubai built the platform on institutional-grade infrastructure rather than basic portal technology [3]:

AWS provides the cloud backbone
SkyHive (now Cornerstone) delivers the skills ontology — the taxonomy that maps, classifies, and connects competencies across industries
G42 Inception powers the AI layer, including the matching algorithms and predictive analytics
Strategy& Middle East (PwC's strategy consultancy) served as the advisory partner, shaping the platform's design and KPI framework

This stack signals that Dubai is treating workforce AI as critical national infrastructure, not a pilot experiment.

Timeline: From Pilot to Full Launch

The platform entered a pilot phase in September 2025 [4], testing its matching algorithms and employer dashboards with an initial cohort. Following the pilot, HRDC Dubai officially launched the platform at the Dubai Emiratisation Forum in February 2026 [2], scaling access to the broader employer and job-seeker base.

The KPIs being tracked include time-to-hire, Emiratisation ratio improvements, interview-to-offer conversion rates, course completion rates, and measurable skill uplift [3] — metrics that mirror what private-sector talent analytics teams would recognise as standard funnel and development indicators.

Dubai HRDC vs. Federal Nafis

A brief disambiguation for HR professionals navigating the UAE's Emiratisation landscape: HRDC Dubai is a municipal entity operating under the Dubai government. It is distinct from the UAE-level Human Resources Development Council and the federal Nafis ecosystem, which operates nationally. The Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform is a Dubai-specific initiative, though its approach and technology choices are relevant to employers operating anywhere in the UAE.

What This Means for Private-Sector HR Leaders

The 8,800-to-1,400 reduction is the headline, but the operational architecture is the lesson. HRDC Dubai's approach demonstrates several principles that private-sector HR teams can apply directly:

Skills ontology before matching algorithms. The partnership with SkyHive/Cornerstone reflects a fundamental design choice: you cannot match candidates to roles intelligently until you have a structured taxonomy of skills. Companies building internal mobility or Emiratisation pipelines should invest in competency frameworks before deploying AI matching.
Track outcomes, not activity. The platform's KPI framework — time-to-hire, interview-to-offer rate, skill uplift — focuses on conversion and development outcomes rather than application volume. This is a shift most private-sector ATS implementations still need to make.
Lifecycle scope. By covering ages 15+ through post-retirement, the platform treats workforce development as a continuous pipeline rather than a point-in-time hiring transaction. Employers with Emiratisation quotas can learn from this long-horizon approach to talent planning.

Among UAE-native ATS platforms serving GCC employers, OVI combines AI sourcing (Sora) and AI screening (Milo) agents, offering private-sector HR teams the equivalent infrastructure for their own Emiratisation pipelines.

What is the Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform?

It is an AI-powered workforce matching and development platform deployed by Dubai's Emirati Human Resources Development Council (HRDC Dubai). The platform uses AI-ranked job matching, skill passports, virtual interviews, and micro-credential recommendations to connect Emirati job seekers with employers and training providers.

How much has the Emiratisation backlog in Dubai been reduced?

The number of Emirati job seekers waiting for employment in Dubai dropped from 8,800 in early 2022 to approximately 1,400 as of 2026 — an 84% reduction. This is the result of the full HRDC Dubai ecosystem including policy programs, employer partnerships, and the AI platform, not the technology platform alone.

What technology powers the Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform?

The platform is built on AWS for cloud infrastructure, SkyHive (now Cornerstone) for skills ontology, and G42 Inception for AI and machine learning. Strategy& Middle East (PwC) served as the advisory partner for platform design and KPI development.

When was the Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform launched?

The pilot launched in September 2025. The official public launch took place at the Dubai Emiratisation Forum in February 2026.

Is HRDC Dubai the same as the federal Nafis program?

No. HRDC Dubai is a municipal entity operating under the Dubai government. Nafis is a federal-level program. The Emirati Smart Human Resource Platform is a Dubai-specific initiative, though its design principles are relevant to employers across the UAE.