UAE organisations plan to increase their AI spending over next 12-18 months

GBM has brought together key executives for an exclusive Artificial Intelligence event to discuss and share key solutions, findings, and best practices for incorporating AI and data analytics into organizations as part of their vision to support organizations on their digital transformation journey.

The event included speakers from GBM, IDC, IBM, and Amazon Web Services, as well as roundtable discussions with executives from Dubai Islamic Bank, Chalhoub Group, Dubai CommerCity, and Al-Futtaim Group, who shared insights and experiences about how AI and data are driving enterprise agility, and their role in scalable, robust, and secure transformation that enables the right decision making.

The event discussed how organizations can begin their AI journeys, how turning data into insights has never been more critical to business success, and how organizations can give their data real purpose and value through a unified data and analytics strategy.

The event also featured key findings from an IDC survey, which revealed that 37% of organizations surveyed in the UAE plan to significantly increase their AI spending over the next 12-18 months, primarily due to national initiatives aimed at driving AI adoption and increasing awareness about how leveraging AI can facilitate operational excellence and a compelling customer experience.

The survey also revealed that one in every two organizations in the UAE had already begun their digital transformation journeys before the pandemic, and that the top digital priorities for these forward-thinking organizations are digitalizing operations for productivity gains, enabling hybrid work models, developing innovative digital business models, and leveraging digital technologies to achieve environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.

Mohammed Riaz, General Manager at GBM Dubai said: “Many organizations are now recognizing that AI is a foundational technology that requires organization-wide transformation to realize its full potential. At GBM, we’re proud to be able to be part of that journey, and help our customers across the entire data and AI life cycle, while also supporting the UAE’s National Agenda. Bringing together executives to share insights and discuss these emerging technologies is key to playing our part in helping organizations succeed in the digital future.”

The event also discussed challenges on the AI adoption journey, such as how finding the right skills and talent, as well as implementation costs, are still major challenges, and how to overcome them in order to succeed on the digital transformation journey.

GBM has supported organizations in the GCC for over 30 years as a leading end-to-end digital solutions provider, offering a diverse portfolio that includes industry-leading digital infrastructure, digital business solutions, security, and services.