The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Strengthening UAE Cyber Resilience: A Scoping Literature Review

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a regional leader in digital transformation, positioning itself at the forefront of smart city initiatives and critical infrastructure modernisation. However, this rapid digitalisation has exposed the nation to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats that challenge traditional security paradigms. This scoping literature review examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in strengthening UAE cyber resilience through a mixed-methods approach, synthesising evidence from 243 scholarly sources identified through systematic database searches. Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, 60 studies were included in qualitative synthesis and 42 contributing to quantitative descriptive synthesis. The review reveals that AI-driven threat detection systems demonstrate substantial performance improvements, with machine learning classifiers achieving up to 98.2% accuracy and reducing response times by 75%. Empirical evidence from UAE-specific studies shows strong positive correlations between AI adoption and enhanced decision-making (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), whilst AI-enabled cyber threat intelligence systems demonstrate significant effectiveness (R² = 0.76, p < 0.001) when supported by appropriate organisational maturity. The review identifies critical success factors including multi-layered defence architectures, human-in-the-loop governance frameworks, and alignment with UAE National Cybersecurity Strategy objectives. Key challenges encompass adversarial manipulation risks, explainability concerns, data sovereignty constraints, and workforce capability gaps. The findings suggest that responsible AI deployment, underpinned by robust governance, continuous workforce development, and federated learning approaches, offers a viable pathway for the UAE to achieve its vision of becoming one of the world's most cyber-resilient nations. This review contributes to both academic discourse and policy formulation by providing evidence-based recommendations for AI integration in national cybersecurity frameworks.