Dubai Police outline 10 emerging AI opportunities to shape policing by 2040

DUBAI: Dubai Police have identified 10 emerging opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) that could transform policing by 2040, paving the way for smarter investigations, autonomous patrols, proactive security systems and more personalised services for the public. The findings, developed by Dubai Police’s Future Foresight Centre, highlight how AI could help law enforcement agencies move beyond traditional policing towards more intelligent, flexible and proactive operations capable of anticipating emerging risks and threats. Brigadier Dr Hamdan Ahmad Al Ghassiya, an expert and Director of the Future Foresight Centre at Dubai Police, said the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 found that 86 percent of surveyed employers expect AI and information processing technologies to transform their businesses by 2030. Brigadier Dr Hamdan Ahmad Al Ghassiya He said that AI is expected to fundamentally change the nature of policing by 2040. He explained that intelligent systems could move beyond their traditional role of supporting police operations to performing complex security tasks with varying degrees of autonomy, working alongside human personnel. This transformation could redefine responsibilities across police organisations and introduce new capabilities in criminal investigations, security operations and responses to emerging threats. He added that the changes would extend beyond technology itself to the way operations are managed, tasks are assigned, and decisions are made. Systems capable of processing vast amounts of data and responding to security developments in real time could enable more efficient and accurate operating models, helping police agencies navigate increasingly complex security environments. Al Ghassiya identified 10 opportunities: hyper-personalised services, AI agent swarms, proactive security sensing, AI-enhanced criminal investigations, physical AI, autonomous patrol systems, self-adaptive cybersecurity, cognitive operating models, hybrid human-AI teams, and generative security simulation. Fatima Rashid Al Alili, Director of the Future Scenarios Department, said identifying emerging AI opportunities is a strategic priority for strengthening police readiness amid rapid technological change. She explained that examining these 10 opportunities reflects Dubai Police’s commitment to exploring emerging technologies and anticipating their potential impact on the future of security and law enforcement. Al Alili added that these developments could create new possibilities for strengthening policing capabilities, accelerating the transition towards proactive security and adopting intelligent systems capable of learning and adapting. She stressed that such advances could improve operational efficiency while enabling smarter, more innovative security services for the community.