The foundations of digital urban solutions may remain broadly the same—mapping, AI-powered tools and other core technologies
Yango Group recently hosted a media breakfast themed ‘Inside the Digital City’, exploring the invisible digital infrastructure behind everyday urban digital services and how technologies and connected mobility are shaping the cities of today and tomorrow.
Islam Abdul Karim, Regional Head, Yango Group Middle East, responded to the assembled journalists’ questions. The following are the transcripts.
Q: As cities such as Dubai continue to grow rapidly, what does it take to build digital services that can scale with them?
Islam Abdul Karim (IAK): Dubai is expected to reach 5.8 million residents by 2040, while its daytime population is projected to reach 7.8 million. This kind of growth inevitably puts additional pressure on urban development, including digital infrastructure.
Yango Group operates across 35+ countries, and we see that there is no universal model to follow. The foundations of digital urban solutions may remain broadly the same—mapping, routing, matching, AI-powered tools and other core technologies—but the services built on top of them need to be tailored to local needs. Cities differ, and so does people’s behaviour.
Understanding this is important because we believe that digitalisation starts from the ground up — with the services citizens use every day: moving around the city, navigating, receiving goods and accessing transport.
When these services become more efficient and reach scale, their impact goes far beyond the individual user. They create new tools for businesses, generate data that can support better urban planning and, importantly, create a digital environment in which new services can emerge, connect and build on what is already there. Over time, this is how a more connected digital ecosystem takes shape, creating increasing value for people, local businesses, and cities.
Q: How will personalisation and AI-powered recommendations change the way people interact with digital city services?
IAK: Digital urban services are becoming increasingly personalised, adapting to how people live and move. AI already analyses context, preferences and behaviour, making services more relevant for each individual.
For example, in ride-hailing, a service can remember frequently used addresses and recommend them. In food delivery, available across Yango Group’s markets in Africa and Latin America, recommendation systems help users find the most relevant dishes within a large catalogue. Personalisation also creates value for businesses: if a restaurant sees which dishes are consistently popular, it can plan preparation and stock around actual demand.
The next stage of personalisation involves understanding broader user intentions. Yasmina, our Arabic- and English-speaking AI assistant, already demonstrates this approach. A user can say, “Start my morning routine,” bringing together actions such as turning on the lights, playing music and starting the news. With compatible Zigbee and Matter protocol home devices, these scenarios can also be scheduled around other everyday routines.
The more technology adapts to people, the more effortless their interaction with digital services becomes. AI models will continue to learn from millions of signals, helping digital urban services anticipate needs and reduce unnecessary choices and actions. In the end, people will think less about the technology itself and experience a more efficient and comfortable city.
Q: What should cities focus on today to build autonomous services in the future?
IAK: Autonomous services depend on much more than the vehicle or robot itself. They need accurate and constantly updated maps, reliable routing, real-time data and a clear understanding of how the city is changing around them — from road conditions and traffic patterns to infrastructure and pedestrian movement. So investing in these digital foundations is essential.
Moreover, autonomous services should not become just an additional instrument in an already complex city. They need to be part of a connected system—integrated with existing mobility and digital services. Building this connectivity from the start should be a priority.
At the same time, cities need to create an environment where autonomous technologies can be tested safely and scaled easily. This requires close cooperation between technology companies, city authorities and local partners.
In this regard, Dubai stands out because it combines ambitious targets with both the infrastructure and the enabling environment needed to move autonomous technologies from experimentation to real-world deployment.
For Yango Group, this creates the right conditions to take concrete steps towards bringing autonomous technologies into the market and testing how they can become part of everyday urban services. Yango’s autonomous delivery robots have already completed more than 1,500 deliveries and travelled over 2,000 autonomous kilometres in Dubai.
