MBZUAI joins UNICON as AI leadership training moves up executive agenda
The Abu Dhabi AI university’s Academy has joined a global executive education network as organizations look for more structured ways to train senior teams on artificial intelligence.
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has joined UNICON, a global executive education network.
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence has joined UNICON, adding its executive education arm, The Academy, to a global network of more than 120 business schools and professional learning providers.
The Abu Dhabi-based AI university announced the membership on Monday, 1 June 2026. The move gives The Academy access to an international executive education network at a time when organizations are seeking more structured training on artificial intelligence adoption, leadership, and workforce transformation.
UNICON was founded more than 50 years ago. Its members collaborate on research, share practice, and develop programs for business leaders, governments, and organizations.
The network includes universities and institutions across North America, Europe, and Asia, with members including Carnegie Mellon University, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Harvard, Tsinghua University, and London Business School.
MBZUAI said the membership will support The Academy’s work with institutions and leadership teams in the United Arab Emirates, while opening the door to international benchmarking and potential partnerships.
AI university expands executive education reach
MBZUAI is known for its work in artificial intelligence research and graduate education. The Academy extends that work into professional learning for leaders, policymakers, and organizations trying to understand how AI affects decision-making, institutions, culture, and society.
Its programs include leadership courses, executive briefings, customized organizational training, and international modules focused on AI adoption and transformation.
UNICON membership is selective, with institutions typically expected to demonstrate academic quality and impact in executive learning. For MBZUAI, the move places The Academy alongside established executive education providers while giving UNICON an AI-focused graduate university within its membership.
Spring Fu, Managing Director of The Academy, says: “UNICON membership is both an honor and a responsibility.
“To stand alongside the world’s most respected executive education providers affirms the rigor of what we have built at The Academy in just a few short years.
“But it is also an opportunity to contribute. As part of the world’s first AI-focused graduate University, we bring a distinctive perspective to executive education at a moment when leaders everywhere are grappling with how AI will reshape their organizations.
“We look forward to learning from our new peers, sharing our expertise, and advancing the global conversation on what leadership in the AI era demands.”
The Academy targets AI adoption and strategy
The Academy brings together scientists, technologists, artists, business leaders, and policymakers through executive learning, fellowships, events, and cross-disciplinary discussions.
The focus is not only technical AI capability. MBZUAI’s executive education work also covers the wider strategic questions facing organizations as AI is adopted across operations, decision-making, workforce planning, and institutional governance.
MBZUAI said The Academy is already working with institutions and leadership teams across the United Arab Emirates. Through UNICON, The Academy will be able to compare its programs with international peers and explore new partnerships.
The membership gives MBZUAI another route to expand executive education linked to AI adoption. The Academy will now participate in a global network whose members develop and share executive learning programs for business, government, and organizational leaders.
