UAE Tech Leaders Prioritize Cloud and AI Skills Growth

News Desk - 30/07/2025

A majority of UAE tech leaders have identified cloud (93%) and Generative AI (GenAI) (89%) transformation as top business priorities for the next three years. This was revealed in a new global study by Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Titled From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation, the report offers insights into how organizations are addressing skills gaps to meet digital transformation goals.

The report found that 61% of UAE tech leaders see keeping pace with technology as a critical driver of skills development. Meanwhile, 60% cited staying ahead of security threats. Other key concerns include optimizing cloud spend (59%) and managing complex infrastructures (52%).

Kais Zribi, General Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Coursera, said strategic investments in upskilling and reskilling are crucial for driving innovation. He emphasized that while automation is transforming business operations, investing in people remains essential.

Coursera reported that:

95% of global tech leaders consider cloud transformation a key business goal.
63% ranked cloud skills, such as development and engineering, as most critical.
Data (58%), cybersecurity (54%), and AI (47%) skills followed closely in priority.

Additionally, 52% of global tech leaders expect 30–50% of tasks to be automated. Nearly all (99%) anticipate their codebases will be at least partially developed using AI within three years. However, 88% believe human input remains irreplaceable, highlighting the need for talent development.

Coursera noted that 77% of leaders globally believe upskilling existing employees is essential to achieving transformation goals in the next 12 to 18 months.

The global study covered tech leaders from the US, UK, India, UAE, France, and Mexico. It included over 750 participants managing digital transformation efforts in organizations with over 1,000 employees and annual revenues above US$100 million. UAE companies surveyed reported an average annual revenue of US$21.6 billion.