At Barcelona’s Smart City Expo, Abu Dhabi showcased a future in which government takes care of the bureaucracy so its citizens don’t have to. Now, with American cities showing interest, the emirate is preparing to export the technology to the world.
Imagine a government that renews your driving licence, pays your utility bills and arranges routine appointments before you remember they need doing. For anyone accustomed to navigating public administration through a maze of websites and departments, it would be a welcome change. Yet in Abu Dhabi, millions of people are already experiencing a different relationship with government, thanks to a platform whose name captures its ambition.
“In Arabic, tamm means ‘consider it done,’” explains His Excellency Hammad Alhammadi, Executive Director of Customer Care & Happiness at TAMM. “If my father asks me to do something, I can say tamm before I even know what he wants. It is a promise that I will make it happen. That is the commitment we make to the people of Abu Dhabi.”
Today, TAMM brings together more than 1,200 public and private services through a single application, covering everything from healthcare and education to property transactions and business establishment. Its user base has reached 4.9 million, according to the latest figures shared by TAMM, while customer satisfaction has climbed from 78% in 2022 to 94.5%. The cost of delivering services has fallen by 30%.
AutoGov takes this a step further, using artificial intelligence to handle recurring administrative tasks with the user’s consent. The information required is already held by government, allowing the platform to act before a deadline becomes another item on someone’s to-do list.
“Why should people go through the hassle of applying for something when the government already has the information?” asks Alhammadi. “We give the customer the choice to proceed, and AutoGov completes the transaction on their behalf. The purpose is to give people their time back, so they can spend it with their families, their friends or doing something they enjoy.”
The savings are substantial. TAMM reports annual efficiency gains of AED722.8 million, approximately $197 million, alongside 7.5 million government working hours saved. Its digital services have also helped avoid 110 million sheets of paper and more than 233,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over a year.
Abu Dhabi’s achievement owes much to the political determination behind the technology. Under the directives of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Department of Government Enablement (DGE) is advancing the emirate’s ambition to become the world’s first fully AI native government by 2027.
“We worked as one government,” says Alhammadi. “We simplified processes, changed policies and removed unnecessary steps. Our leadership maintained a consistent vision, and every government entity worked towards it.”
That consistency matters because the hardest part of digital government is often getting institutions to cooperate. TAMM has created shared technology that departments can use without repeatedly investing in separate payment systems or customer management platforms. Problems are monitored centrally, allowing government entities to work together on solutions.
Now Abu Dhabi believes that experience has international commercial value.
In October, it established TAMM Global, a company that will license the technology and operating expertise behind the platform to governments worldwide. The move follows growing interest from international delegations, while reports suggest several American cities are exploring the technology and that the first overseas customer could be in the United States.
“Governments were coming to Abu Dhabi to see what we had achieved, and many wanted to implement something similar,” recalls Alhammadi. “We realised we could help them avoid starting from zero. We have already made the journey, learned the lessons and overcome the challenges.”
TAMM Global will offer governments an established platform that can be adapted to local requirements, with countries retaining control over their own data. For administrations struggling with fragmented systems and expensive digital transformation programmes, the attraction is obvious.
“The purpose is to give people their time back, so they can spend it with their families, their
friends or doing something they enjoy.”
H.E. Hammad Alhammadi, Executive Director of Customer Care & Happiness, TAMM
At Barcelona’s Smart City Expo, where cities gather to exchange ideas about the future of urban living, TAMM attracted attention for technology that Abu Dhabi has already been using for years. Alhammadi recalls visitors becoming excited about features introduced five years ago, a reminder of just how far ahead the emirate has moved in integrating public services.
For Abu Dhabi, the opportunity is significant. The emirate has invested heavily in becoming a global centre for advanced technology, and TAMM Global could establish an entirely new export industry built on its experience of running government.
Alhammadi measures that ambition in more personal terms. “If people in another country become happier with their government services because of TAMM, that will be our measure of success.”
A little less bureaucracy. A little more life. Consider it done.
