Moving beyond the pilot: from AI ambition to AI execution

AI for business problems

The first tip Alaa gives CEOs, when it comes to working with AI? Be very sure that AI is in fact the right solution to your problem. ‘I often get asked: can you help us implement AI in our organization? And I always reply with a question of my own: for what? It is important to know what business problems you want to solve and whether AI is the best solution to solve them. Maybe it’s not. Maybe some other technology will do the job. Or no technology at all.’

Strategy first, AI second

In other words: develop a strategy behind your AI (and non-AI) solutions. Of course, AI will become a viable solution increasingly often. And to prepare for this, it is important to give employees the freedom to experiment. Alaa: ‘Empowering your people to work with AI starts with them getting familiar with AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. This way, people will learn what the technology can and cannot do for them and how to get the best results.’

Agentic AI

The real return on investment, however, will come from agentic AI improving and scaling business processes. That is not to say that AI will take over all human jobs, but it will change them. ‘Take the software engineer, for example,’ Alaa says. ‘The demand for software engineers has never been higher. But instead of writing code, they are leading a team of several coding-agents. People do the thinking, AI agents execute.’

People drive AI

Indeed, people play a central role in the AI revolution, in the GCC countries as in other parts of the world. All employees will have to adjust to the new reality of AI-driven processes, in which their own roles evolve. ‘You could go as far as saying that everybody becomes a developer,’ Mohamed says. ‘With the right tools, everyone can write code and build apps, just by explaining what you need in plain English or Arabic. And even if you don’t finish the application, this will smooth the conversations between businesspeople and their technical colleagues.’

For Mohamed, this is more than a talking point – it is the philosophy behind TMC’s model. ‘Our tagline is People Drive Technology, and AI has only made that more true. Technology doesn’t create value on its own. It is the experts – the people who understand both the business problem and the technology – who turn AI ambition into AI execution.’

Data as a gold mine

Alaa agrees: ‘Yes, all solutions should be business driven. And it is a misconception that organizations magically create value by only hiring AI experts or AI engineers. If you want AI to really drive your organization, you need to start by cleaning up your data. Your organization’s data is a gold mine. So, I say to organizations: for each data scientist, hire three or four data engineers. This way, you form a team that can make your data AI-ready and create business cases for AI solutions. Of course, because your data is such an asset, it is also a liability. You will also need to invest in data protection, which requires yet another specialized skillset.’

Engineering opportunities in the GCC

There is a significant gap in the GCC countries between the high demand for technical specialists and the available supply. ‘The Gulf countries have great potential, when it comes to AI,’ says Mohamed. ‘The investments in infrastructure are huge. But the GCC countries don’t have the same density of talent as the US, Europe or China.’

Mohamed continues: ‘CEOs and investors are keen on coming to the GCC countries, because they see opportunity. For mid to senior level engineers, a career in the GCC countries may not always be top of mind. But they are in high demand, because they are the people who can actually develop AI tools, build infrastructure and prepare data. It is my job to show the Employeneurs in TMC’s global network – a community of more than 2,800 subject matter experts across 14 countries – that the innovative environment in the GCC countries is very attractive for them to work in. You could say the Gulf countries are one big AI sandbox, pun intended.’

Explore to improve

‘Indeed, given the government AI strategies, especially in the UAE, there is plenty of room for people and organizations to experiment with AI and implement new tools,’ Alaa adds. ‘This is why my second, most important piece of advice to GCC organizations is to give their employees the freedom and security to safely explore possible AI solutions that fit their strategy, in controlled sandbox environments. This boosts creativity and innovation, because it is harmless to your live applications. And it gives your employees the opportunity to keep learning about a technology that moves at breakneck speed.’

Strategize for speed

It is precisely this speed that may seem daunting to organizations. But especially in the GCC, where governments go all-in on AI, speed is not optional. The organizations that will come out on top are those that pair that speed with direction: a clear strategy that ties every AI solution to a real business problem, and the right technical people to deliver it.

‘That is ultimately what separates AI ambition from AI execution,’ Mohamed concludes. ‘Strategy tells you where to go. People get you there. Get those two right, and you will never have to launch another pilot without knowing what it should prove.’