Middle East countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia are in a strong position to begin widespread use of autonomous vehicles, an expert in driverless cars has said.
Srinivas Peeta, director of Georgia Tech’s Autonomous and Connected Transportation Laboratory, told The National that it makes sense countries with a history of rapid technology adoption, strong infrastructure and relatively tranquil weather might be able to begin using autonomous vehicles faster than others.
“If you have the roads which are robust in terms of their quality and the road signage and other things are clear … they [the UAE and Saudi Arabia] are well suited,” he explained during a tour of the lab, which included a room where human interactions with autonomous vehicles are tested.
His comments come right before the UAE is set to host the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, which will take place next week. The event is billed as “the world’s leading platform for self-driving tech, future mobility, and integrated transport systems”.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi launched its first pilot programme for autonomous delivery vehicles. The trial, taking place in Masdar City, involves vehicles that use advanced smart mobility systems and artificial intelligence that can navigate urban areas and deliver orders without human intervention.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) also recently signed a preliminary agreement with Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving company, to start trials of driverless vehicles in the emirate by the end of the year.
Last year, Uber announced it would begin using self-driving cars from Chinese-owned WeRide in its Abu Dhabi fleet, expanding the emirate’s autonomous public transport options and boosting its sustainability push.
“It’s a terrific team, and we offer WeRides now in Abu Dhabi, and recently announced that expansion into Dubai as well,” Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said during a technology policy conference in Washington in April.
That same year, the UAE made history by organising the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL), a self-driving vehicle race in which a professional race car driver faced off against fully autonomous vehicles. As for Saudi Arabia, during a recent technology exhibition in Riyadh, Elon Musk announced that Tesla Motors would be bringing its Robotaxis to the kingdom in the not-too-distant future.
And Uber recently teamed up with Saudi-backed electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors and US robotics company Nuro with the aim of eventually launching a global robotaxi programme.
Yet for all the excitement and rapid advancements in the autonomous vehicle industry, Mr Peeta warned that several unknowns could impact the projected rapid embrace of autonomous vehicles. He pointed to the Middle East’s climate.
“We always talk about weather impacting things,” he said. “In that region you can also have dust storms, which could occasionally pose challenges to the autonomous vehicles.”
He added that every country has different driving styles, such as lane discipline, that could impact the success of driverless vehicle roll-outs. “Those things can always be challenging,” he said, adding that for all the research done in the autonomous vehicle sector, predicting every potential scenario is almost impossible.
It’s worth noting, however, that Tesla has been known to bring over vehicles to the UAE to put them through the paces for “extreme heat and durability testing”.
The final potential hurdle – not unique to the Middle East, according to Mr Peeta – is public sentiment.
In 2025, only 13 per cent of US drivers said they trust self-driving vehicles, according to polling from the American Automobile Association – a slight increase from the survey results last year that showed 9 per cent of drivers trusted the technology.
The survey also indicated that 53 per cent said that they would not choose to take a ride in autonomous vehicles, although those in the Millennial and Generation X age groups seemed more open to the idea.
With consumer fear still relatively high, Mr Peeta said in countries with stable existing transport infrastructure and road systems, driverless vehicles will win public support at a faster rate.
“Where the roads are robust and people are already following traffic rules, that’s where we’ll start to see autonomous vehicles become the norm,” he said.
All public perception issues aside, investments in the autonomous vehicle sector show no sign of slowing down. Globally, the value of the global autonomous vehicle market is forecast to reach about $2.3 trillion by 2032, from about $121.7 billion in 2022, data from Precedence Research shows.
Video – How robotaxis are expanding across the US
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or ‘guaranteed’ returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions – this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics – creating urgency, offering ‘exclusive’ deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
“Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
more from Janine di Giovanni
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo’unga)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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EXPATS
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
The years Ramadan fell in May
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
- Winner: Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
- Winner: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
- Winner: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
- Winner: Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
- Winner: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain / now Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
- Winner: Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa → Chelsea / England national team)
Men’s Coach of the Year
- Winner: Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
- Winner: Sarina Wiegman (England)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
