OPINION
‘ITERATIVE INNOVATION’ KEY AS UAE DIGITAL PIONEERS EMBRACE EMERGING TECH As one of the world’s few nations to have conducted a successful mission to another planet, hardly anything is left to be said of the United Arab Emirates’ technological credentials. But for the record, the nation was the first to appoint a minister of state for artificial intelligence; is a perennial early adopter of everything from big data to mixed reality; and is one of the few countries to have clearly defined national strategies for IoT, blockchain, and everything in between.
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lso noteworthy are the country’s moves on Web 3.0, the Metaverse, and crypto assets. We could discuss its ambitions around AML, cybersecurity, and many other areas, but I believe the case is made. If we are in the age of Industry 4.0, then the UAE is the standout example of Nation 4.0 — primed and prepped for the digital age, and already a global hub for innovation. The public sector is awash with e-services, bots (DEWA’s Rammas being a prime example), and digital workflows. Government leadership has inspired the private sector too. In the BFSI industry, Mashreq stands out as a world leader in digital banking and self-service branches, and grocery chains from Spinneys to Carrefour have enlivened their customer experiences. But digital transformation is a journey, not a destination. Those who have been successful at digital acceleration will tell you so, just as they will tell you that to keep the expedition on track, you must
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put the end user at the head of the caravan. We have in the past seen the hype around chatbots die down and customers return to favouring human agents. But with the emergence of GPT technology, conversational AI has become more viable, so implementation of these bots may now yield a competitive advantage.
NO SHORTCUTS Just because digitisation is a journey, does not mean you cannot take leaps forward. These are not the same as shortcuts. Everything is still implemented with due diligence. But being on the lookout for that window of opportunity that lies between jumping the gun and missing the boat is an art that must be honed. Think of how quickly GPT emerged. Today’s windows close quickly. And IT budgets are shrinking. Digital pioneers exist in a symphony of challenges, where they need to be smart about where they focus their efforts. The best way to move forward without tripping
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5/2/2023 10:31:59 AM
