Dubai Police has outlined ten artificial intelligence trends it expects to reshape policing by 2040, according to Brigadier Dr Hamdan Ahmad Al Ghassiya, Director of the Future Foresight Centre at Dubai Police. He said AI is moving beyond a support role toward systems capable of handling complex operational and security tasks with varying degrees of autonomy.
Topping the list is AI-driven criminal investigation, where systems sift through vast volumes of data and forensic evidence to surface hidden patterns and connections. Autonomous patrol systems that combine sensors and analytics to sharpen response times, and proactive security sensing that flags emerging risks before incidents occur, also feature prominently.
The report also points to "physical AI" — robots and drones capable of reading their surroundings and reacting intelligently — alongside coordinated AI agent swarms that can complete multi-step tasks together. Hyper-personalised policing services, delivered across multiple languages and channels, and self-adaptive cybersecurity systems that predict and contain threats on their own round out the mid-tier of the list.
Rounding out the ten are hybrid human-AI teams with clearly defined roles, cognitive operating models that let the force learn and anticipate rather than simply react, and generative security simulations used to train officers for emergencies in dynamic virtual scenarios.
Al Ghassiya cited the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, which found 86 per cent of employers worldwide expect AI and information-processing technologies to transform their businesses by 2030. He said Dubai Police intends to get ahead of that curve rather than catch up with it, positioning the technology to improve both public safety and operational efficiency across the force.