Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy & Remote Work Applications & Central Bank of the UAE Launch Generative-AI Coin-Design Challenge
In a significant step towards marrying national heritage with cutting-edge technology, the UAE has unveiled a first-of-its-kind public design challenge inviting participants to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create a commemorative coin design.
What the challenge involves
- The initiative was announced during the annual UAE Codes Day celebrations on 29 October 2025, which mark the anniversary of the region’s first e-government launch in 2001.
- Participants are required to create a circular coin design using generative AI tools, ensuring it meets technical specifications suitable for minting and adheres to ethical and legal standards.
- The winning design will be minted as an official commemorative coin by the Central Bank of the UAE, symbolising the country’s journey in technology—from its past, through present, to future ambitions.
- The competition is open to all members of society, reinforcing the idea of inclusive innovation and public participation in the digital economy.
Strategic context & significance
- The challenge is framed as a way for the UAE to both celebrate its digital transformation journey and encourage creative uses of AI, underscoring its ambition to position itself as a global innovation hub.
- By combining national symbolism (a commemorative coin) with generative AI, the UAE is anchoring technological progress in cultural identity—helping embed technology not just in enterprise systems but in public consciousness and everyday design.
- On the policy front, this comes amid broader efforts to ramp up AI literacy, digital skills, and participation across sectors, reinforcing the “digital economy” pillar of the UAE’s vision.
What to watch
- Key dates: The design submission deadline, followed by the winner announcement during the UAE Codes 2025 event series.
- Scale and uptake: How many designs are submitted, the diversity of entrants, and how widely the opportunity is publicised.
- Beyond design: Whether the minted coin becomes a collectible or has wider circulation; and whether this model (public AI-design challenges) will be replicated in other government/sector initiatives.
- Commercial and tech ripple effects: For tech companies, this may spark demand for generative AI platforms, design tooling, and creative-economy services. For businesses, there’s a signal that the UAE is encouraging innovation not just in infrastructure, but in public participation and design ecosystems.
Why this matters for your audience
If your readership consists of tech-savvy professionals, design innovators or business stakeholders:
- It indicates a new category of public-sector innovation programmes—one directed not just at enterprises or technical teams, but at the broader population and creative communities.
- It shows how AI is being framed as a cultural asset, not just a technology stack—this helps expand the dialogue around AI from “what it can do” to “how people engage with it”.
- It suggests potential future opportunities: design competitions, public-private collaborations in AI creativity, monetisation of AI-driven design, and emerging “creator economy” structures in the Middle East.
