Check out what people have to say about AI.

AI is getting really important and is changing everything – business, healthcare, transportation, you name it. Learn about the impact of AI on various sectors including business, society, finance, and culture. The Middle East as a region is embracing AI technology and fostering investment in research and development.

Karim Azar, Regional VP of the Middle East and Turkey, at Cloudera:

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword but a critical driver of digital transformation across industries. As the internet expands and data generation accelerates, AI has evolved, harnessing this data to develop sophisticated models that are transforming our daily lives. From advanced image recognition and personalised recommendations to natural language processing, AI is becoming increasingly smarter and more integrated into our everyday experiences.

Globally, companies are investing heavily in AI to enhance productivity and efficiency. AI’s impact on business, society, finance, and culture is profound. In the GCC region, governments and the private sector are embracing AI technology, fostering investment in research and collaboration to propel economic growth. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are leading the charge in AI research, development, and implementation, particularly in healthcare, education, urbanization, transportation, security, and robotics.

AI has driven substantial growth in the Middle East’s IT sector, with the region expected to see a potential economic boost of $320 billion from AI advancements. IT and ITES organizations are finding numerous opportunities in areas like automation, operational efficiency, cybersecurity, data analytics, and enhancing customer experience. The current influence of AI is just the start, as we are only beginning to uncover its full potential.

Cloud technology plays a pivotal role in this AI-driven digital transformation. By providing scalable and flexible infrastructure, cloud platforms enable the rapid development and deployment of AI solutions. This synergy between AI and cloud technology is driving innovation and unlocking new possibilities for businesses in the region.

As we celebrate AI Appreciation Day, it is essential to recognize the transformative power of AI and cloud technology in shaping the future. The Middle East is poised to become a global hub for AI innovation, and the continued collaboration between governments, businesses, and technology providers will be crucial in realizing this vision. Together, we can harness the power of AI to drive economic growth, enhance quality of life, and build a more connected and intelligent world.”

Kirsten Stoner, Product Strategy Technologist, Veeam Software:

“Cyberattacks have become more advanced, often going unnoticed for months or even a year. To stay protected, organizations should adopt a hybrid approach to detection, combining their existing security systems with AI-driven technology. AI-powered detection can analyze various data sources, like network traffic logs and user activity records, to identify suspicious patterns and anomalies. With the use of AI, organizations can detect current threats and provide predictive analysis. By training AI models with quality data sets, the detection process is accelerated, resulting in more accurate identification of anomalies, and reducing false positives. This allows organizations to detect threats early and respond faster to reduce data loss and avoid downtime associated with attacks.

By training AI models by using machine learning algorithms, the model can learn how to filter through the noise and differentiate between normal and malicious activities. This can help with predictive analysis and detecting unknown or emerging threats while improving over time.”

Rick Vanover, VP Product Strategy, Veeam Software:

“AI Appreciation Day 2024 is a newly recognized event, but this will be one that sticks around. In my professional experience, AI ( like any new technology), has to align to an organization’s risk tolerance balanced with business benefits. In fact, I put these two as the deciding factor to determine if an AI-enhanced or AI-powered solution is worth pursuing. So much AI activity today gravitates to an awareness and education exercise, and you may soon find that moment where the business benefit becomes clear. Never forget the risks with the data flow of AI (or anything for that matter!). Further, should this business benefit become something your organization depends on, how is it being kept resilient and available?

All of that considered, I’m super excited for the AI innovation in the market – both what we’re working on at Veeam and the broader ecosystem. This includes community-driven AI projects, continued integration of AI into Veeam’s data resiliency offerings, AI-powered customer experience solutions, and private AI solutions for our 5,000+ employees.”

Ziad Nasr, General Manager, Acronis Middle East:

“The UAE made history by appointing an AI minister in 2017, aiming to become a top global AI hub by 2031. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 places AI at the core of its strategy to diversify beyond petroleum reliance. These initiatives mark both nations as pioneers in the Middle East, shifting towards tech-driven innovation and expanding their global influence beyond the oil and gas sector.

The development of technologies like the Falcon 2 AI model underscores the region’s commitment to innovation, competing with global giants like Meta and OpenAI. As technology evolves, it is no surprise that threats loom in the online world for businesses. According to Acronis’ Cyberthreats H1 Report, Bahrain and Egypt were two of the most targeted countries for malware attacks in Q1 2024.

However, AI remains at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation in 2024. In the UAE, nearly 95% of organizations plan to increase investments in artificial intelligence to enhance cybersecurity measures. At Acronis, AI-based technologies are used to perform malware detections and behavioural analysis and assist our MSP partners in understanding and investigating cybersecurity incidents. These AI-powered security systems enable organizations to autonomously detect anomalies, predict breaches, and respond swiftly to cyber attacks in real-time.

As we celebrate Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day, it is clear that AI is revolutionizing how we safeguard the digital landscape. By empowering IT professionals to anticipate and mitigate threats proactively, AI ensures robust defense mechanisms against evolving cyber risks, paving the way for a safer and more interconnected future.”

Barry Norton, VP of Research at Milestone Systems:

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undeniably transforming the landscape of technology and security, marking a pivotal moment in our digital era. 

One striking example of AI’s transformative power is Generative AI. Traditional internet searches yield millions of results, requiring considerable effort to find valuable information. GenAI streamlines this process, delivering coherent and concise answers, thus freeing humans to focus on higher-level tasks and actionable insights. The integration of AI with search engines is just the beginning; combining AI with other technologies, such as video surveillance, has shown tremendous potential.

Within the security landscape, AI-powered devices equipped with deep learning analytics are revolutionising how we interpret video data. These smart devices are becoming increasingly adept at understanding video scenes, potentially surpassing human capabilities due to their scalability. The synergy between AI and video technology promises to empower individuals, businesses, and societies by enhancing security and operational efficiency.

However, with these advancements come legitimate concerns about AI’s increasing role in our daily lives. Future generations may have different expectations of AI and technology, necessitating a shift from viewing technology as an end in itself to a means of achieving greater societal well-being.

At Milestone Systems, we are committed to developing AI solutions that prioritise the greater good of humanity. We believe that the successful integration of AI into everyday life hinges on responsible implementation, ensuring that AI serves as a tool for societal benefit rather than merely a profit generator.

To this end, we focus on enhancing AI solutions’ performance by addressing accuracy and fairness. Effective AI solutions require massive amounts of labelled training data, which can pose privacy and ethical challenges. To mitigate these issues, we utilise Synthetic Data—computer-generated data that replicates real-world conditions without infringing on individual privacy. This approach not only maintains data integrity but also ensures that our AI systems are trained on diverse datasets, leading to better performance and fairness.

As we celebrate AI Appreciation Day, we recognise the immense potential of AI to revolutionise security and beyond. By leveraging AI responsibly and ethically, we can create a safer, more efficient world, unlocking new possibilities for future generations. Together, we can harness the power of AI to drive positive change and secure a brighter future for all.”

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