By: Economy Middle East

Dubai’s customs operations are moving toward a more proactive model in which artificial intelligence supports decisions before shipments arrive, converts institutional data into practical recommendations and helps businesses complete procedures more efficiently.

Dubai Customs is accelerating the integration of AI throughout its customs ecosystem to improve operational performance, strengthen decision-making and support the business community. The initiative is also intended to reinforce the emirate’s competitiveness as an international trade and logistics center.

The authority is continuing the pilot development of OCTA, an enterprise intelligence platform designed to strengthen knowledge management and transform large volumes of information into actionable insights. The system will support the development of policies and procedures while helping teams assess organizational performance and make more informed decisions.

The wider program reflects Dubai Customs’ continued investment in advanced technologies to redesign customs processes, improve service efficiency and reinforce the resilience of supply chains serving companies and consumers.

Cargo screening advances

Dubai Customs is also progressing with the pilot phase of its Advance Cargo Information system, known as ACI. The platform applies AI to shipment information received before cargo arrives, allowing customs teams to assess potential risks earlier and improve operational readiness.

The system is intended to maintain a balance between facilitating legitimate trade and protecting borders. Earlier identification of higher-risk shipments can allow customs officials to focus resources more effectively while reducing unnecessary delays for compliant businesses and lower-risk consignments.

Dubai Customs Director-General Dr. Abdulla Busenad said investment in artificial intelligence represented an investment in the future of trade and Dubai’s economy rather than simply spending on technology.

He explained that every smart initiative was designed to facilitate commerce, strengthen investor confidence, assist the business community and prepare the customs ecosystem for future requirements. 

Busenad said OCTA and ACI build on Dubai Customs’ record of adopting advanced technology and mark another step toward creating a smarter and more proactive customs system.

He added that the objective was to turn data into insights, insights into decisions and decisions into measurable economic impact while advancing Dubai’s international competitiveness and supporting the leadership’s vision for a more efficient government.

Enterprise intelligence grows

Adel Al Suwaidi, Director of the Strategy and Corporate Excellence Department at Dubai Customs, said the authority was developing an integrated enterprise intelligence ecosystem in which AI supports performance improvement, innovation, service development and decision-making in line with international best practices.

He said testing OCTA and ACI through pilot phases would allow Dubai Customs to refine both systems before their full deployment and ensure they provide maximum value for employees, customers and the wider business community.

OCTA uses artificial intelligence and natural-language understanding to strengthen knowledge management, analyze information and generate recommendations. These capabilities are intended to give employees faster access to institutional knowledge and help decision-makers identify patterns, priorities and potential improvements across policies, procedures and services.

ACI focuses on proactive risk analysis using pre-arrival shipment information. By reviewing cargo data before goods reach Dubai, the system is designed to enable quicker decisions, streamline customs procedures and improve the services available to traders, logistics companies and other customers.

The two projects support Dubai Customs’ broader effort to make AI a strategic foundation for redesigning government operations rather than using it only as an additional digital tool.

They also contribute to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 by enabling trade, improving government efficiency and strengthening Dubai’s position as a destination for international business, investment and future-focused economic activity.

Earlier ACI launch

Dubai Customs first launched the AI-powered ACI system at GITEX Global 2025, presenting it as an integrated platform capable of improving shipment processing, customs security and risk analysis.

The system enables customs authorities to receive shipment information before goods leave their country of origin. It analyzes cargo manifests from airports and seaports alongside customs data, giving officials additional time to assess potential risks before the physical arrival or dispatch of consignments.

The platform consolidated several earlier risk-classification and analysis systems into one AI-powered environment. Dubai Customs also integrated blockchain to protect the reliability and integrity of information received from original data sources, while machine learning allows analytical performance to develop as the system processes additional information.

The authority said the system could support real-time decision-making and automatically deliver analytical insights to the relevant teams, improving response times while minimizing unnecessary physical inspections of legitimate cargo. 

Dubai Customs AI 

AI strategy expands

The latest pilots form part of the Dubai Customs 2030 artificial intelligence strategy, launched in October 2025 to integrate AI technologies across customs operations and build a fully digital ecosystem.

The strategy is structured around five principal pillars and seeks to re-engineer systems so they operate through AI rather than merely adding AI features to existing procedures. Its objectives include accelerating trade, improving services and generating additional economic value through digital transformation.

Dubai Customs subsequently began updating its 2026–2030 strategic plan, with artificial intelligence positioned as a central element of institutional decision-making.

The plan focuses on anticipating challenges, improving data quality and developing a smarter risk-management ecosystem while balancing the smooth movement of trade with effective border protection. It also supports D33’s objective of doubling Dubai’s economy and expanding trade during the agenda’s implementation period.

Trade continuity tools

Dubai Customs has introduced other digital systems that complement OCTA and ACI. Its Shahin cargo-monitoring platform uses satellite technologies and electronic smart seals to track trucks from customs entry points to their final destinations.

The system provides real-time visibility and sends alerts when a truck deviates from its approved route or displays unusual movement. It also operates alongside pre-clearance procedures and the Green Corridor initiative to reduce waiting times, support supply-chain continuity and maintain the movement of essential products during disruption.

Between March 1 and June 30, 2026, the Green Corridor handled more than 203,242 containers, carrying over 3.16 million tonnes of goods valued above AED33.9 billion from 188 countries.

During the same period, Dubai Customs maintained an instant-clearance rate of 93 percent. Its wider economic-support measures also provided more than AED79 million in liquidity to private companies and attracted over 4,000 new customers, linking customs efficiency directly with business continuity and investor confidence.