The other half of the past decade saw a steady rise in acceptance for modern tech in the Middle East, with artificial intelligence and cloud computing leading the way. Further digitisation during the pandemic accelerated innovation in these services, and the grand vision for a smart city in Dubai was largely fuelled by the potential that machine learning unlocked.

Needless to say, the role of AI in public spaces as well as households has grown leaps and bounds, to the extent that facial recognition has made its way to metro stations and airports. As Abu Dhabi integrates computer vision into educational institutions for maintaining security and flagging signs of bullying, school buses in Dubai are gearing up to use the tech for monitoring drivers.

The city which has already installed smart cameras in cabs to spot unusual behaviour among those behind the wheel, will use machine learning to monitor routes of buses as well. Boarding of children along with the school staff on the wagons will also be tracked in real-time, to ensure that the transport system functions smoothly.

Conduct of the drivers will be a focus area, in order to ensure compliance with norms for the safety of students. Equipped to keep an eye on movements of an entire fleet, the system will also be available for commercial buses run by the city's transport authority along with taxis.

Drivers can also place a call for assistance from the smart guide, which can point them in the direction of areas with high demand, to serve passengers efficiently. All of this will be controlled from a data analysis centre, as smart living gets back on track in the new normal.

The service is in line with the increasing acceptance for intelligent solutions, which has also encouraged authorities to test autonomous buses in different parts of the country. Computer vision is also empowering road safety, via cameras in Abu Dhabi that spot motorists who use phones while driving, before sending an SMS to warn them.