Tech News
UAE and Saudi businesses cite skills gaps, governance challenges and resource shortages as factors that stall or halt AI projects
Qlik today launched research of 4,200 C-Suite executives and AI decision makers, revealing what is hindering AI progress globally and how to overcome these barriers.
A lack of AI skills, governance challenges, and insufficient resources are the main factors stalling successful AI deployment. Despite these challenges, Qlik’s research highlights optimism among AI leaders, with 70% of UAE and 77% of Saudi respondents confident in their countries’ ability to lead in AI skills within the next five years.
Despite believing in the power of AI, most businesses have projects that have been paused, cancelled, or stuck in planning
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are both at the forefront of embracing AI. Businesses in these Middle Eastern countries recognise AI’s strategic importance, with 93% of UAE and 95% of Saudi respondents identifying AI as essential or very important for achieving organisational success, compared to 87% globally.
In the Gulf markets, organisations leverage AI mostly for knowledge sharing, training and enablement, creating cost-saving efficiencies, optimising operations, and predictive forecasting.
Despite this recognition, many AI projects struggle to progress. For instance, in the UAE, about 84% of organisations have up to 50 AI projects stuck in the planning and scoping stage. While the figure is marginally higher in Saudi [85%], both countries are slightly below the global average [87%]. Meanwhile, about 16% of UAE and 15% of Saudi respondents revealed that they have over 51 AI projects that haven’t made it out of the planning and scoping stage — figures higher than the global average [11%].
Even if AI projects do get started, not all get completed. In fact, the majority of UAE [72%] and Saudi [64%] businesses reported they have up to 50 projects that have been paused or cancelled. These figures align with the global average [68%]. Meanwhile, 13% of UAE businesses and 14% of Saudi organisations stated they have paused or halted over 51 AI projects — higher than the 8% worldwide average.
Skills gaps, lack of resources and regulatory challenges are among key barriers
There are different factors that slow down or hinder AI projects in UAE- and Saudi Arabia-based businesses.
In the UAE, the main reasons AI projects are paused or cancelled include regulatory challenges [24%], lack of skills/resources to support the implementation and roll-out [24%], and budgetary challenges/constraints [21%]. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the top reasons include too unorganised/untrusted data for AI to work with [27%], lack of skills/resources to support the implementation and roll-out [25%], and not having enough data available for AI to work with [25%].
On a more general level, organisations in these countries face overarching constraints that prevent them from achieving their AI goals.
In the UAE, the most significant barriers include a lack of AI skills [31%], a lack of data skills [27%], and insufficient data and analytics capabilities and tools [25%]. In Saudi Arabia, the main challenges are a lack of ability to identify the problems to solve [31%], lack of data skills [30%], and insufficient resources, such as inadequate relevant staff [27%].
These issues align with challenges faced by various organisations around the world. Globally, a lack of AI skills [31%], insufficient resources [26%], and regulation and governance issues [24%] emerged as the top obstacles when it comes to hitting AI goals.
On building trust, educating users and the need for funding and upskilling
To overcome AI adoption hurdles, turning to ready-made AI solutions could be the key. The report states that these products serve as practical starting points. In Saudi Arabia, 81% of decision-makers agree that supplier-provided solutions enhance AI development. In the UAE, this figure is at 69%.
Building more trust in AI is also an essential component of the narrative. In Saudi Arabia [83%] and the UAE [82%], AI leaders recognise the need to build more trust among users. Additionally, education and training are also seen as vital. In the UAE, 78% of respondents agree on the need for more training for staff and customers to foster trust in AI. This sentiment is shared by 82% in Saudi Arabia.
To further support AI adoption, funding and upskilling initiatives are also imperative. In Saudi Arabia [82%] and the UAE [72%], decision-makers believe their government needs to provide more funding and training in AI. Industries must also take a proactive approach to nurturing AI talent, with the majority of the respondents in Saudi Arabia [87%] and the UAE [70%] echoing this sentiment.
Amid all these concerns, both the Middle Eastern powerhouses remain optimistic about their AI capabilities. In Saudi Arabia [77%] and the UAE [70%], most of the respondents believe their country has the potential to lead in AI skills within the next five years. These figures are slightly ahead of the global average of 66%.
“Business leaders know the value of AI, but they face a multitude of barriers that prevent them from moving from proof of concept to value creating deployment of the technology. The first step to creating an AI strategy is to identify a clear use case, with defined goals and measures of success, and use this to identify the skills, resources and data needed to support it at scale. In doing so you start to build trust and win management buy-in to help you succeed,” said James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik.
Tech News
Anomali to Address the Next Phase of AI-Led Cyber Defense at GISEC 2026
Anomali, the leading global Managed Intelligence and Agentic SOC platform, announced its participation at GISEC Global 2026, taking place through 16-18 September at Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City.
The company’s discussions at GISEC will center on Autonomous SOC with Governed AI, Agentic AI, Actionable Threat Intelligence and Unified Security Data Lake capabilities that are changing the manner in which security teams investigate threats, manage workflows and make decisions.
Samer Jadallah, Vice President, Middle East & Africa at Anomali, will represent the company at GISEC and will focus on the growing impact of AI on both attackers and defenders, emerging shifts in the threat landscape, including the need to counter CEO impersonation attacks as well as key challenges facing modern security teams. He will also highlight AI’s role is helping organizations respond more effectively to evolving threats, Anomali’s commitment to the region and ongoing product innovation and plans to expand adoption of the Anomali platform across global enterprises and government organizations.
A key focus at this year’s event will be the changing nature of cyberattacks. As threat actors promptly adopt AI to scale campaigns and further accelerate attacks, security operations centers (SOC) are under growing pressure to process rising volumes of alerts with limited resources. To help with this, Anomali will demonstrate how AI can support analysts in multiple ways like surfacing higher- value insights, reducing manual effort and enabling quicker, informed responses.
Visitors can find Anomali at Booth E156 and Booth A80.
- Event: GISEC Global 2026
- Booths: E156 and A80
- Location: Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City
- Dates: 16 th to 18 September 2026
- Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm GST
Tech News
HONOR BRINGS ITS ALPHA PLAN TO LIFE AT LEAP 2026 WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST ROBOT PHONE AND RENEWED “DARE TO BE” BRAND DIRECTION
HONOR, a global leading AI device ecosystem company, concluded its participation at LEAP 2026, bringing its “ALPHA PLAN: From Vision to Reality” to life through the world’s first Robot Phone, advancements in robotics, cinematic imaging and connected AI experiences. The participation also marked HONOR’s renewed “Dare to Be” brand direction reflecting its continued transformation from a company predominantly known for smartphones into a broader global AI device ecosystem company.
Commenting on the participation, Lei Kunming, CMO HONOR Middle East & Africa said, “LEAP 2026 showed how HONOR’s ALPHA PLAN is moving from vision to reality. From the world’s first Robot Phone and Robotics to our connected ecosystem, we demonstrated how AI can work more naturally around people.” He added “Our ‘Dare to Be’ direction gives that transformation a stronger identity, with Saudi Arabia remaining central to our growth in AI and digital innovation.”
Bringing the HONOR Booth Experience to Life
Visitors explored HONOR’s expanding ecosystem through interactive experiences spanning sports, gaming, smart office, learning and everyday scenarios.
The booth demonstrated how smartphones, PCs, tablets, wearables and other smart devices can work together to deliver more seamlessly, across work, entertainment, sports and health, reflecting the ALPHA PLAN’s ambition to create a more intelligent, connected and human-centric ecosystem around the user.
Introducing the World’s First Robot Phone
At the centre of HONOR’s showcase was the world’s first Robot Phone, a defining proof point of the ALPHA PLAN and a new category combining AI, robotics and cinematic imaging.
Its integrated robotic gimbal can move, track subjects and respond to its surroundings, enabling more intuitive and proactive content creation. LEAP also marked the Robot Phone’s reveal for the Middle East and Africa, making the region the first overseas market to experience the new category.
HONOR also highlighted its collaboration with ARRI, bringing more than 100 years of professional cinema and image science expertise together with HONOR’s AI and robotics capabilities to make cinematic content creation more accessible to everyday users.
Advancing a Future Built on Human and AI Collaboration
Beyond the Robot Phone, HONOR showcased its ambitions in robotics through HONOR Robotics D1, reinforcing its vision of a future shaped not by humans competing against AI, but by humans working with AI to achieve more. The company also explored the future of AI devices and robotics through its LEAP keynote and panel discussions.
Entering a New “Dare to Be” Era
Reflecting this evolution, HONOR’s renewed“Dare to Be” direction reflects its evolution beyond individual devices towards an open AI ecosystem connecting technologies, industries and lifestyles. Supported by innovations including Agentic OS and AiMAGE, HONOR’s journey progresses from an intelligent phone to an intelligent ecosystem and, ultimately, an intelligent world.
Driving Growth Across MEA
HONOR entered LEAP with strong regional momentum. In H1 2026, the company grew by 35% while the Middle East smartphone market declined by 13%, making HONOR the only leading smartphone brand in the region to grow and the second-largest smartphone brand in the Middle East. This followed 73% year-on-year growth in Q1 2026.
Within this regional growth, Saudi Arabia remains a particularly important market for HONOR, supporting the company’s broader ambitions across AI devices and its connected ecosystem.
Strengthening HONOR’s AIoT Presence in Saudi Arabia
As part of this momentum, Saudi Arabia remains a strategic market for HONOR and an important part of the ALPHA PLAN. The Kingdom is now HONOR’s number one tablet market by share, while its AIoT business has grown by more than 500% and HONOR Earbuds Clip has surpassed 100,000 units sold locally.
Building on this strong foundation, HONOR continues to strengthen its presence through retail, after-sales, local partnerships and deeper engagement with the Kingdom’s technology ecosystem.
Tech News
greytHR expands agentic AI-powered HR execution across Middle East region with greytHR NAVOS

greytHR, a leading full-suite Human Resource Management System (HRMS) platform, launched greytHR NAVOS across the Middle East region, bringing agentic AI competencies directly into its platform. The new capability enables HR teams to find information, navigate workflows, while completing authorised HR activities through simple, natural-language commands.
The Middle East rollout comes as agentic AI begins to reshape HR functions globally. According to McKinsey’s August 2026 research on the agentic era of HR, roughly two-thirds of today’s HR activities, including recruitment, payroll, onboarding and benefits administration, could be largely automated by 2030.
Unlike conventional AI assistants that primarily focus on answering questions, greytHR NAVOS follows an execution-first approach, helping users move from finding information to initiating and completing supported HR actions. Its three core functions – Navigate, Operate, and Support – enable information and workflow discovery, authorised action execution and contextual guidance.
Girish Rowjee, Co-founder & CEO of greytHR, said: “We have evolved from a system that you work on, to a platform that works with you. As a full-suite HRMS, greytHR already connects the entire hire-to-retire lifecycle across key HR operations. With the launch of greytHR NAVOS, we are adding an agentic AI layer across this connected ecosystem, enabling users to manage everyday HR activities through conversational commands rather than searching through multiple menus or disconnected tools. Furthermore, greytHR NAVOS works within each organisation’s existing security and access controls, reducing administrative friction and accelerating everyday HR execution.”
greytHR NAVOS supports a wide range of workflows across core HR, leave and attendance, workforce management, performance management, recruitment, platform navigation and support. HR teams can use the capability to update employee information, generate and publish letters, access attendance records, manage leave and regularisations, support performance reviews, search for job openings and candidates, handle recruitment approvals and generate hiring content.
Based on early greytHR NAVOS usage in comparable markets, HR administrators have reported productivity savings of approximately five hours per week by replacing repetitive manual workflows with conversational requests. In one practical example, an attendance-muster export that previously required around five separate steps can be completed through a natural-language prompt in approximately 10 seconds. By simplifying routine processes and reducing time spent on software interfaces, greytHR NAVOS enables HR professionals to devote more time to employee engagement, workforce planning and strategic decision-making.
greytHR NAVOS operates within each organisation’s existing role-based access control (RBAC) system, ensuring that access to employee information and platform actions remains aligned with individual user roles and permissions. Moreover, sensitive or irreversible actions require explicit human confirmation before execution. The platform also maintains a traceable audit record of AI-assisted activity, including the initiating user, timestamp, prompt and action details. Meanwhile, greytHR’s established privacy, security, and governance framework extends to greytHR NAVOS, including alignment with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, and GDPR frameworks, supported by human oversight.
The new capability is available across all paid greytHR plans, including essential, growth, and premium, with no per-seat AI fees, usage caps or separate purchase required.
The launch showcases the evolution of HRMS platforms from traditional systems of record towards systems of action, where technology can understand user intent, identify the relevant workflow and support the execution of the next authorised step.
greytHR currently supports over 34,000 organisations and 3.5 million users across over 30 countries, providing a strong foundation for expanding its agentic AI capabilities across the Middle East region. With greytHR NAVOS, the company is helping regional businesses simplify HR administration and narrow the gap between intent and execution.
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