Delivering a unified brand experience for an Arabic-first AI system
Organisations operating in fast-moving technology markets, platform inconsistency carries a real cost. When users encounter different experiences across web and mobile, trust in the product erodes. JAIS, MBZAUI’s flagship Arabic Large Language Model (LLM), needed to behave and perform identically whether accessed on a desktop browser, an iPhone, or an Android device.
JAIS was built for the world's 400 million Arabic speakers, developed through a collaboration between MBZUAI, Emirati technology company G42, and US-based hardware developer Cerebras Systems. This assistant gives users a conversational AI interface with native Arabic language capability across regional dialects, bilingual switching, and everyday productivity tasks.
This project required synchronising design, development, and security architecture across three platforms simultaneously, under a tight delivery timeline and with a new Android build starting from scratch.
Building on an established partnership
JBi Digital has been a digital partner for MBZUAI since the first version of JAIS. What began as a single-platform engagement grew into a broader mandate: bring web, iOS, and Android into full alignment, and replace the existing authentication system with a modernised, microservice-based architecture.
This is where JBi's existing knowledge of MBZUAI's technical environment mattered. The team could move directly to planning and execution without the onboarding time a new supplier would have required.
Simultaneous delivery across three platforms
Rather than sequencing the platforms one after another, JBi ran web, iOS, and Android development in parallel. This required close coordination between JBi's team, MBZUAI's backend developers, and the wider design partners, but it meant all three platforms could be handed over production-ready at the same time.
Design consistency and bilingual support
JBi rebuilt the web interface to match the version 2 UI designs already established for mobile. The layout was re-engineered for desktop and tablet.
Arabic and English language support was refined across the platform. Both right-to-left (RTL) and left-to-right (LTR) text rendering now works correctly across all three products, which is operationally significant for MBZUAI's international user base.
Feature parity across platforms
JBi brought all three platforms to the same functional standard. Users can interact via text, voice input, or document upload. A model-switching toggle lets users choose between different AI models. Read Aloud, quick-copy, and full chat history are available across web, iOS, and Android.
Authentication and infrastructure
The codebase was updated to work with MBZUAI's new microservice-based login system, replacing legacy flows with social login and email/password options.
During the Android build, JBi identified and logged technical issues before handover rather than passing problems downstream. Automated CI/CD deployment pipelines were set up via GitHub Actions, and the web application was containerised using Docker to reduce deployment risk and simplify future updates.
Consistent delivery, clean handover
JBi delivered fully functional UAT builds and completed authentication API integration within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving the necessary access and data. Web, iOS, and Android builds were handed over simultaneously, production-ready. MBZUAI managed the final production release directly, giving their team full control over timing and internal sign-off.
Editorial independence. The modular architecture means MBZUAI's team can manage content and updates across the platform without raising development requests for routine changes.
Security and access. The new authentication system protects user data across all three platforms, with social login and email/password options replacing the previous legacy flows.
Speed through partnership. Prior knowledge of MBZUAI's technical environment, governance requirements, and design standards removed the lead time that a new supplier relationship would have introduced.
Digital transformation. Delivered securely.
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