Salesforce has officially inaugurated its new office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai Internet City. The company’s expansion in Dubai is part of its commitment to support AI innovation, customer success and growth in the UAE.

The opening ceremony was attended by His Excellency Omar Sultan AlOlama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Malek Al Malek, Chairman of TECOM Group PJSC, and Abdulla Belhoul, CEO of TECOM Group, alongside Salesforce executives, other key customers and representatives from the company’s thriving partner ecosystem.

The launch of Salesforce’s new state-of-the-art office at Dubai Internet City, a leading technology hub, builds on the company’s ongoing investment in the UAE. Last year, Salesforce made Hyperforce, the company’s trusted cloud platform, generally available in the UAE in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This year the company achieved the Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Security Standard for Salesforce Services on Hyperforce in the UAE to support government and public sector entities.

Salesforce is experiencing rapid growth in the UAE as more companies invest in AI-driven digital transformation and look to partner with Salesforce as a trusted AI partner. The new office, with its collaboration and innovation spaces, will enable Salesforce to showcase its latest AI technology innovations and better serve local customers.

At Dreamforce, Salesforce unveiled Agentforce, a groundbreaking suite of autonomous AI agents that augment employees and handle tasks in service, sales, marketing, and commerce, helping to drive unprecedented efficiency and customer satisfaction. These agents are integrated on Salesforce apps and leverage real-time data from Salesforce’s Data Cloud to deliver accurate, personalized, and automated responses. They can perform complex business processes autonomously, significantly reducing manual workload and enhancing productivity​.

“I am thrilled to introduce Salesforce’s latest transformative AI-driven solutions to the UAE, and the entire team is eager to collaborate with customers and showcase how these best-of-breed solutions unlock new possibilities,” said Srini Tallapragada, President and Chief Engineering Officer, Salesforce. “The Salesforce Platform, with Data Cloud at its center, enables Agentforce and every Salesforce app to deliver seamless, AI-powered experiences across every customer touchpoint.”

“Our new presence in Dubai Internet City further strengthens our dedication to serving customers in the UAE. We are especially excited to bring the AI innovations announced at Dreamforce empowering public and private sector organizations to thrive by leveraging AI and cloud-based solutions to optimize data use, enhance agility and truly prioritize customer centricity,” said Thierry Nicault, Area Vice President and General Manager, Salesforce Middle East. “Additionally, our participation in Gitex later this month further underscores this commitment, as we continue to engage with the region’s most forward-thinking enterprises to drive the next wave of digital transformation.”

“Salesforce’s launch strengthens our nations’ legacy of collaborative advancement and signifies a long-term investment in the digitally enabled knowledge economy, which Dubai Internet City has nurtured for more than two decades. Its expansion in our district is a profoundly positive move that will help unlock the UAE’s and Dubai’s vision for inclusive, sustainable progress and talent development, in line with the goals of Dubai Economic Agenda D33,” said Ammar Al Malik, Executive Vice President of Commercial at TECOM Group, and Managing Director of Dubai Internet City. “Technological collaboration is enriching the shared vision for collective prosperity that has underpinned the UAE-US economic corridor for more than 50 years. We are delighted to welcome Salesforce to our ecosystem, the region’s leading technology hub.”

By: Jakob Westh Christensen, Market Analyst at eToro

The one investment megatrend to watch out for is the rollout of AI. There is no doubt that this single megatrend has the potential to reshape companies and economies – and your investments.

As AI automates tasks that workers perform today manually, we will see a significant uptick in productivity in companies and economies. Seeing the megatrend is clear, but positioning your investment is the hard part. We are still in the early stages of this revolution, and I don’t expect we will see a measurable productivity impact on companies’ and economies’ output until 2 to 3 years.

While the earnings growth (and stock price gains) so far are coming from the chip designers and manufacturers, it’s vital for the successful investor to identify the sectors and companies that eventually will benefit from a productivity boost and consequently stronger earnings.

This is likely to be found in companies where they can achieve a high degree of automation, and at the same time have a strong competitive advantage. This ensures that cost cutting results in margin expansion, and not just passing on cost cutting to end users.

For example, the taxi industry could achieve an exceptionally high level of productivity per employee with the introduction of self-driving cars. While initially, the industry could see a margin expansion with a lower employee cost base, this competitive industry could soon see price competition lowering margin to ‘normalised levels’, benefiting the consumer and, to a lesser extent, the investors.

On the other hand, insurance companies could see significant cost reductions in the underwriting process, which can be highly automated. At the same time, customer habits and customer inertia can result in less price competition, benefitting the company and its investors.

By Karim Azar, Regional Vice President – Middle East & Turkey, Cloudera

The digital landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and at the heart of this evolution lies the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Across industries, AI is not merely a buzzword but a revolutionary force driving innovation, efficiency, and growth. Its impact extends beyond automation, touching every side of business operations and decision-making. It can revolutionize multiple sectors and fundamentally reshape the corporate industry.

Nonetheless, challenges arise with technological evolution, particularly in accessing and overseeing varied datasets across diverse environments. These challenges frequently act as obstacles to achieving successful AI implementation. In response to these challenges, the technology landscape is witnessing significant advancements in open data lakehouse technologies, providing a robust foundation for AI and analytics. Let’s delve into key technological developments and their advantages, focusing on the broader implications rather than specific products.

Unlocking Business Potential

AI has the potential to unleash new opportunities for businesses. McKinsey’s findings reveal that more than 62% of companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region currently utilize Generative AI in some operational aspect. The research underscores the substantial potential of AI to create tangible value in the GCC, with an estimated value of up to $150 billion.

This adoption trend is not without merit; statistics show that 83% of businesses adopting AI report substantial (30%) or moderate (53%) benefits. AI can address various challenges by providing predictive analytics and personalized customer experiences, enabling organizations to make faster and more accurate data-driven decisions.

Despite the obstacles in adopting AI, such as data management complexities and security concerns, offering air-gapped deployment for large language models (LLMs) is still a viable option. This feature boosts security, data privacy, and performance while also lowering customer operational expenses. However, overcoming these challenges requires more than just technological solutions. It demands a comprehensive approach that includes robust data governance frameworks, continuous employee training programs, and collaboration with regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with data protection laws.

AI Across Industries

AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is applied differently across industries and business functions, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and retail. The potential uses of AI are vast, from boosting supply chain efficiency to transforming healthcare outcomes and customer service.

For example, in the healthcare industry, AI-powered predictive analytics can help doctors identify patients at high risk of developing certain diseases, allowing for early intervention and personalized treatment plans. AI algorithms can analyze market trends and financial customer behavior to recommend customized investment strategies. In manufacturing, AI-driven predictive maintenance can proactively anticipate equipment failures and schedule maintenance activities, minimizing downtime and reducing costs.

As businesses increasingly adopt AI, they invest in their organization’s future. By promoting innovation and agility, companies can leverage AI to maintain competitiveness in a digital era. Prioritizing data privacy and security helps build trust with customers and stakeholders, ensuring AI technologies’ responsible and ethical use.

AI is a significant transformation in how businesses function and innovate. Embracing AI opens up vast opportunities for organizations to reshape their operations, stimulate growth, and influence the future of business. While the journey may present challenges, the potential benefits are boundless for those willing to embrace the power of AI.