FEATURE
HOW AI IS CHANGING THE WORLD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS MAKING DEEP INROADS INTO ALL INDUSTRIES WITH A PROFOUND IMPACT ON HOW WE DO BUSINESS. WE EXAMINE HOW TO PUT AI TO WORK TO TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS.
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uch has been written about AI’s potential and what it can do or can’t do. Over the years, AI has been steadily extending into all functional areas of business and has become a focal point for many CIOs today. The biggest promise of AI for IT leaders is that it can optimise business processes and automate tedious tasks. Though it is very transformative, AI is still a poorly understood area of technology as it consists of many concepts, methodologies, and algorithms. Many new AI-related technologies came out of the oven last year, and it will be exciting to see what 2021 holds for AI, with the global AI market predicted to reach $190 billion by 2025. “There is an increasing adoption of AI and cognitive solutions across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region. IDC predicts that spending on AI across META will be more than double by 2024 to reach $979M—South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE being the top three biggest markets,” says Manish Ranjan, Program Manager for Software & Cloud at IDC Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
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CXO INSIGHT ME
APRIL 2021
He says the increasing adoption of AI is primarily driven by organisation’s need to achieve greater customer experience, infuse process automation, enable stringent cybersecurity, and accelerate business innovation. According to the latest CIO survey by IDC, almost 67% of CIOs across MEA stated that they are planning to significantly increase their spending on AI in the next 12 months. Government within the region plays a key role by outlining AI strategies such as UAE National AI Strategy 2031 and Smart Dubai Ethical AI toolkit in the UAE, formation of SDAIA – National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence in Saudi Arabia and similar national AI strategies by other countries like Qatar, and Turkey are paramount examples. Both public and private sectors are establishing partnerships within AI and Machine Learning areas and upskilling the local talent. Mohammed AbuKhater, VP, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at F5, cites a recent report from PwC, which states the Middle East is expected to accrue 2% of the total global benefits of AI in 2030, equivalent to $320 billion. “We’re going to see a growing
willingness across different industries – from oil & gas to financial services, healthcare and government – to adopt AI in various formats. All sectors stand to gain from AI, and we see a growing awareness of the need to adopt it here in the Middle East.” Raed Hijer, Principal Technologist – AI, ML & DL, Dell Technologies MERAT, says in 2021, human-machine partnerships will become deeper, richer, and more immersive than ever before. “As people adapt to hybrid working models, technologies will continue to evolve. User experiences with devices will improve as a combination of AI, cloud, and enhanced connectivity merge. AI will make intelligent PCs more seamless, personalised, and enjoyable. Additionally, new apps and services will continue to make collaboration easier and more organic, and the systems we’re using will also start to see upgrades in functionality. We’ll also see more voice and languagedriven intelligence, from customer service centers to digital assistants.” Ayhem Al Zaem, ICT Regional Sales Manager, Middle East and Africa, Red Hat, comments the number of AI solutions developed for IT purposes will increase, and large-scale adoption
