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Abu Dhabi launched Exposure AI on October 2, a tool that tracks pedestrians' exposure to traffic emissions in real time, Khaleej Times reported. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) developed it with MIT's Senseable City Lab. It aims to show what residents actually breathe.
What is Exposure AI and how does it track air pollution?
Exposure AI is an Abu Dhabi tool that follows pedestrians through the city to measure the traffic emissions they inhale as they walk. Unlike fixed monitoring stations, which record pollution only at set points, it shows exposure along a person's actual route. It runs alongside a second tool called Emission AI.
How is air quality usually measured in Abu Dhabi?
Stations at fixed locations have traditionally monitored air quality. They offer a snapshot of pollution at those points.
Exposure AI takes a different approach. It follows pedestrians through the city and shows what people inhale as they move.
Does AI contribute to air pollution or help track it?
In Abu Dhabi, AI is being used to track pollution. Emission AI uses dashcam footage to estimate how much pollution each vehicle produces.
Planners can see which roads, traffic patterns and vehicle types drive the problem. Together, the two tools connect vehicle emissions to real exposure. They show who is exposed to traffic emissions and where.
What research is behind Exposure AI?
The technology builds on research that used Abu Dhabi data. Communications Engineering published a study in September 2026 on using AI and video to estimate vehicle emissions.
Nature Sustainability published an earlier framework paper in April 2026. It acknowledged DMT as a consortium supporter.
The research was also presented in 2025 at the MIT Senseable City Lab Global Conference at the Venice Biennale. Representatives from 48 partner institutions worldwide attended.
What happens next for Abu Dhabi's AI air pollution research?
DMT and MIT Senseable City Lab renewed their agreement at LIVEX 2026. Fatema Al Mutawa, DMT's acting executive director of strategy, and Carlo Ratti, director of MIT Senseable City Lab, signed it. The deal opens new research under DMT Future Hub.
Two projects, Trees in My Backyard and Re-Leaf, would use AI to guide tree planting. They would focus on areas with the highest heat and pollution.
A third project, Stellar Oasis, would target light pollution across the emirate.
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