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FROM PILOTS TO POWER INFRASTRUCTURE: HOW THE GCC IS ENGINEERING THE NEXT PHASE OF AI

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2 months ago

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A professional portrait of Farid Yousefi, Founder and CEO of Finder Group Ai, an AI-powered venture builder in Dubai. He is an innovative leader with a distinguished beard and dark hair, dressed in a sharp navy blue suit and a white dress shirt, looking directly at the camera with an authoritative and visionary expression. The background is a clean, modern corporate setting that reflects the sophisticated GCC AI infrastructure and venture capital landscape discussed in the article

By Farid Yousefi, Founder & CEO, Finder Group Ai

Artificial intelligence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is entering a decisive new chapter. What began as experimentation, ie, isolated pilots, proof-of-concept chatbots, and innovation lab demos, is rapidly evolving into something far more consequential. In 2026, AI will no longer sit at the periphery of digital transformation strategies. Instead, it will operate as a foundational layer of economic, industrial, and civic infrastructure, embedded into how energy systems run, how governments serve citizens, and how capital flows through the region.

This shift reflects a broader reality: the GCC is no longer merely adopting global AI trends, but actively shaping its own AI paradigm, one that is grounded in sovereign control of data and compute, tuned to Arabic language and local context, and aligned with national visions that prioritize scale, speed, and long-term resilience. The region’s ambition is not incremental improvement, it is to redefine how intelligence itself is designed, governed, and deployed at national scale.

The Maturation of Generative and Agentic AI

By 2026, the most significant leap in AI capability across the GCC will come from the maturation of generative AI and “agentic” AI systems. These technologies move beyond passive analytics or conversational interfaces. Agentic AI can reason, plan, and take actions across complex workflows, effectively acting as a digital operator rather than a static tool.

Crucially for the region, large language models fine-tuned for Arabic dialects and Gulf-specific context are rapidly improving. This has profound implications. Customer-facing AI systems are becoming genuinely fluent, capable of understanding nuance across Modern Standard Arabic, Gulf dialects, and bilingual Arabic-English interactions. Banks can now deploy AI-driven fraud detection and customer support in Arabic without sacrificing accuracy or trust. Governments can offer multilingual virtual assistants that guide citizens through services with clarity and cultural sensitivity.

Beyond language, real-time predictive analytics is reaching operational maturity. In energy and utilities, AI models are being trained to detect early warning signs of equipment failure on oil rigs, pipelines, and power grids. The economic impact is significant: preventing a single unplanned outage can save millions of dollars while improving safety and environmental outcomes.

In logistics and smart cities, multimodal AI, systems that simultaneously process images, sensor data, and text, is transforming operations. Ports are using AI to automate customs paperwork and optimize cargo routing. Cities like Dubai and Riyadh are deploying AI to dynamically manage traffic congestion, monitor infrastructure health, and improve public safety. These capabilities signal a clear transition: AI is no longer an experimental back-office function, but front-line infrastructure, intelligence delivered as a utility.

Redesigning Government and National Infrastructure Around AI

This technological maturation is reshaping how GCC governments think about digital services and national-scale infrastructure. Traditional e-government portals, static, form-based, and siloed, are giving way to AI-powered concierge models. Instead of navigating multiple platforms, citizens increasingly interact with a single intelligent agent.

Imagine a system that can visually review submitted documents, understand a request in natural language, and execute transactions across multiple departments in one seamless interaction. This is not a distant vision. Across the GCC, ministries are already using generative AI to automate administrative tasks, summarize regulations, and simulate policy outcomes. These early deployments foreshadow a future where agent-based systems anticipate needs and act proactively.

Mega-projects and smart city initiatives are embedding AI from inception rather than retrofitting it later. With dense networks of IoT sensors feeding real-time data, cities such as NEOM, Riyadh, and Dubai are building AI “control layers” that continuously monitor traffic, energy consumption, water usage, and security. Agent-based systems can then coordinate responses, rerouting vehicles, balancing power loads, or flagging anomalies, without waiting for human intervention.

The result is self-optimizing infrastructure. Humans remain responsible for strategy, ethics, and oversight, while AI executes decisions at machine speed. This represents a fundamental shift in governance and urban management: designing for intelligence at scale rather than manual supervision.

Sovereign Compute: The Backbone of GCC AI Ambitions

None of this transformation is possible without a parallel revolution in AI infrastructure. The GCC’s aspiration to become a global AI hub hinges on sovereign compute capacity – control over the data centers, chips, and energy that power advanced AI models.

Over the past two years alone, sovereign wealth funds across the region have mobilized more than $100 billion toward AI infrastructure. This scale of investment is unprecedented, outpacing even Europe. Landmark initiatives such as Abu Dhabi’s Stargate project, a multi-gigawatt data center campus designed to host and train large AI models on local data, and Saudi Arabia’s plans for up to 6 gigawatts of AI data centers under its HUMAIN initiative exemplify this ambition.

The region enjoys a structural advantage in this race: energy. Power costs in the Gulf are less than half those in many European markets, providing a natural edge in the energy-intensive process of training large models. At the same time, operators are innovating to address environmental and climatic challenges. Advanced cooling technologies, including liquid immersion cooling, are being deployed to operate efficiently in summer temperatures exceeding 45°C. Renewable energy integration is also increasing, aligning AI growth with sustainability goals.

Equally important is sovereign control over hardware. GCC nations are investing in local chip design programs and forging strategic partnerships to secure access to cutting-edge AI processors. In an era of global supply-chain uncertainty, this control over compute is becoming as strategically important as control over oil reserves once was. The region is effectively converting its natural advantages of capital and energy into a durable compute advantage for the AI age.

Where ROI Is Materializing First

From an investment standpoint, the strongest returns in the GCC are emerging where AI delivers direct, measurable impact. Predictive maintenance in energy and utilities is a prime example. AI systems that prevent equipment failures or optimize drilling operations offer immediate cost savings and operational resilience. Unsurprisingly, pilots in oil and gas—such as AI models analyzing drilling plans—are rapidly scaling into production environments.

In financial services, AI-driven fraud detection, risk scoring, and KYC automation are moving from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment. Banks across the region have demonstrated that these systems reduce losses, improve compliance, and significantly speed up customer onboarding. Customer service automation is also reaching maturity. Telecom operators, airlines, and government agencies that once piloted Arabic-language chatbots are now preparing to replace tier-one support entirely with AI agents, improving availability while lowering costs.

Logistics represents another high-ROI frontier. Gulf ports and free zones are scaling AI solutions that automate documentation, optimize cargo flows, and reduce bottlenecks. Successful trials have shown faster throughput and improved competitiveness—critical advantages for economies positioning themselves as global trade hubs.

The common thread is pragmatism. Investors and enterprises are increasingly prioritizing AI that solves real problems and delivers returns per dollar invested. The era of AI experimentation without clear outcomes is giving way to disciplined scaling of proven use cases.

Regulation as an Accelerator, Not a Constraint

As AI adoption accelerates, governance has become a central pillar of the GCC’s strategy. National AI frameworks in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are establishing trust-first guardrails focused on transparency, accountability, and human oversight. These policies are not designed to slow innovation, but to ensure it scales safely.

Saudi Arabia’s guidelines, for example, mandate human oversight for public-sector AI and require transparency measures such as watermarking AI-generated content. Qatar’s central bank has introduced governance rules requiring audits and human review for high-stakes algorithms. These frameworks inevitably influence data flows, encouraging sensitive information to remain within national borders.

While this localization may initially limit free cross-border data movement, it is simultaneously fueling massive investment in regional cloud and data center infrastructure. Over time, regulatory alignment across the GCC, particularly around shared principles of fairness, accountability, and transparency, will enable AI solutions certified in one country to scale regionally. Clear rules reduce uncertainty, giving enterprises and investors confidence to deploy AI at scale.

The Hidden Risks of Autonomous AI

Despite the momentum, risks remain, and some are underestimated. One of the most significant is overconfidence in AI accuracy. Even advanced models can hallucinate or fail, particularly when dealing with local dialects or sparse data. In high-stakes sectors such as security, healthcare, or law enforcement, such errors can have serious consequences. Human oversight is therefore not optional, regardless of how autonomous a system becomes.

Operational fragility is another concern. Many organizations overlook infrastructure dependencies, such as reliance on imported GPUs or insufficient cooling and backup power for data centers. In the Gulf’s climate, these vulnerabilities can quickly become systemic risks. Cybersecurity also takes on new dimensions as AI systems gain autonomy, expanding the attack surface for malicious actors. A compromised AI traffic system or a convincing deepfake could undermine public trust overnight.

Finally, reputational and regulatory backlash remains a risk if AI is misused or deployed without adequate safeguards. A single incident involving biased decision-making or a privacy breach could slow adoption across entire sectors. Rigorous testing, transparency, and fail-safes, the unglamorous aspects of AI, are essential for sustainable progress.

Who Will Lead the GCC AI Race?

By 2026, leadership in the GCC AI landscape will be shaped by a combination of talent, data, sovereign strategy, and investment appetite. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are poised to lead, each leveraging distinct strengths. The UAE’s early-mover advantage, world-class institutions such as MBZUAI, and deep integration of AI into daily life have positioned it as a global reference point for adoption. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, brings unmatched scale, capital, and data assets particularly in energy, making it the region’s AI infrastructure powerhouse.

Other GCC nations will lead in targeted ways. Qatar is emerging as a center for ethical AI and safe deployment, Bahrain as a pioneer in cloud-first government integration, and Oman as a steady builder of digital infrastructure and local talent pipelines. Across industries, government services will continue to drive adoption, while energy and finance lead commercially.

From Oil Wells to “Intel Wells”

Ultimately, the GCC’s AI journey is about more than technology, it’s about redefining economic value creation. The region is moving from oil wells to “intel wells,” treating data and insight as the new strategic resource. At Finder Group AI, our mission is to connect the region’s abundant capital with its brightest innovators responsibly, transparently, and at scale.

By 2026, the global conversation will shift from AI hype to AI habitat. The Gulf will not just be adopting AI, but exporting a new standard, one that balances cutting-edge innovation with trust, governance, and purpose. The rise of the GCC as an AI hub will create opportunities far beyond its borders, shaping the next phase of the global AI economy on the region’s own terms.

-Ends-

About the Author:

Farid Yousefi is a serial entrepreneur and innovator leading the development of Finder Group Ai, an AI-powered venture builder ecosystem based in Dubai. With a strong background in strategy, business development, and technology adoption, his focus is on helping ideas transform into scalable businesses through AI-driven solutions.

His work spans across building and mentoring startups, forging partnerships, and guiding ventures from ideation to growth. He is passionate about creating impact through technology, developing sustainable ecosystems, and supporting founders on their journey through in-depth technical and industry knowledge and expertise and access to a global network of venture capitalists and angel investors to attract investment, and through partnerships at the highest level within government to aid integration and scale rapidly within local territories.

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The Executive Health Upgrade: Why Personalized Prevention Is the UAE’s Next Premium Category

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11 hours ago

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February 20, 2026

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How Prana AI + SindyXR Want to Make Personalized Health Routine in the UAE

By Integrator Web Editor

Most healthcare is built for emergencies. But the biggest risks to long-term health often develop quietly—sleep debt, metabolic drift, chronic stress, early cardiovascular strain. Prana AI and SindyXR are building a UAE-first model that treats health like a modern dashboard: establish your baseline, detect drift early, and guide course-correction through an AI “longevity OS” paired with concierge support.

The UAE is rapidly becoming a proving ground for next-generation, consumer-friendly health models that blend premium services with data-driven personalization. This article explores a shift underway in Dubai and the wider Emirates: moving from reactive, appointment-led care toward continuous, proactive “health operating systems.” Prana AI and SindyXR are among the emerging players aiming to productize prevention—making personal health measurable, understandable, and easier to follow through on.

“Most healthcare is built for emergencies. Personalized health is built for trajectory.” – Christopher M. Hill, Board Chair, President, and CEO of SindyXR

From Firefighting to Flight-Checking

Most of us treat health like a fire alarm: we respond when it’s loud enough to ignore. A symptom appears, we book an appointment, get a prescription or advice, and move on. That model isn’t “bad”—it’s just built for a different job.

Reactive healthcare is excellent at handling acute problems. But the biggest threats to long-term wellbeing often don’t arrive with sirens. They creep in quietly: chronic stress patterns, sleep erosion, metabolic instability, early cardiovascular risk, burnout. By the time something becomes obvious, the fix is harder, slower, and more expensive.

This is why “personalized health”—often described as preventive, longevity-focused, or precision wellness—is accelerating globally. The promise is simple and non-medical: know your baseline, track changes over time, and act early with clarity.

In the UAE, where performance, pace, global mobility, and high expectations are everyday realities, that promise is especially relevant. People want health experiences that match how they actually live: fast, discreet, premium, and practical—with minimal friction and real follow-through.

Personalized Health, Explained Without the White Coat

Personalized health doesn’t require a medical degree to understand. It’s a system that does four things well:

  • Establishes your baseline — a clear snapshot of how your body is functioning today.
  • Detects drift over time — what’s improving, what’s stuck, what’s slipping.
  • Translates data into action — simple, tailored steps you can actually do.
  • Keeps you consistent — so improvements don’t fade after a “good month.”

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s trajectory. You’re not trying to “win health.” You’re trying to reduce risk and increase resilience—month after month.

“Think of it as a health command center: baseline, drift detection, and guided course-correction.” – Charles Cavo, DO Co-founder, Pounds Transformation

Why the UAE Is Ready for This Category

Dubai and the wider UAE are fertile ground for this model for three reasons:

  • High intent: Many professionals already invest in fitness, nutrition, mental performance, recovery, and longevity practices.
  • High friction: Even motivated people struggle to stay consistent when travel, deadlines, and family responsibilities pile up.
  • High expectations: Premium experience isn’t a “nice to have” in the UAE; it’s a baseline for adoption.

Most people don’t need more information. They need a system that makes follow-through easier than falling off track.

That’s the core thesis behind Prana AI + SindyXR: the real disruption isn’t “one more health test.” It’s a repeatable operating model around the person that converts insight into sustained action.

Prana AI + SindyXR: A Hybrid ‘Longevity Concierge’ Built for Busy Lives

The Prana AI + SindyXR approach can be understood as three layers working together—each solving a different part of the real-world problem.

Layer 1: Precision diagnostics (the baseline)

This is the “what’s happening inside my body?” layer—advanced diagnostics designed to establish a meaningful baseline across key health domains. Not just a basic annual check, but a deeper view intended to help identify risk patterns early and prioritize what matters now.

Crucially, the output has to be readable, not intimidating: scores, trends, and plain-language insights that allow non-medical professionals to understand what they should focus on—without getting buried in numbers.

Layer 2: Prana AI as the Personal Longevity OS (the daily system)

This is where personalization becomes real. Many wellness apps can nudge, but they often lack context—your baseline and your changes over time.

Prana AI’s role is to function like a health command center:

  • Daily routines that fit real schedules (sleep, movement, recovery, nutrition prompts)
  • Wearable integration where available (to track trends, not obsess over single readings)
  • Progress tracking that emphasizes trajectory (what’s changing, what isn’t)
  • Quarterly and annual comparisons to identify drift early

The design intent is simple: reduce decisions. When people are busy, friction kills follow-through. The “OS” needs to feel like a co-pilot—not a second job.

Layer 3: SindyXR concierge + expert ecosystem (the follow-through engine)

The uncomfortable truth about health is that many people already know what to do. The problem is friction:

  • booking
  • scheduling
  • follow-up
  • accountability
  • decision fatigue

SindyXR’s concierge layer aims to handle the “life admin” of better health—connecting users to curated experts, creating structured sessions, enabling community learning (webinars and roundtables), and coordinating next steps so momentum doesn’t fade.

This is the difference between:

  • “I should do something about this,” and
  • “It’s scheduled, guided, and underway.”

“The innovation isn’t one more test—it’s the operating model around the person.” – Sumit Puri, CEO & Co-Founder, Prana AI

The Closed Loop Most Health Experiences Don’t Deliver

Here’s what separates a premium testing service from a real system: the loop.

Most offerings stop at “test + report.” Some add “test + report + generic advice.”

The Prana AI + SindyXR model is designed to deliver a full cycle:

In other words:

  • you don’t just learn your numbers,
  • you change the trajectory, and
  • you prove it over time.

That loop is the true product: a repeatable “operating model” for personal health.

Who It’s For First: The Executive Longevity Circle

The initial positioning is clear: this is built for people who are time-poor, performance-driven, and outcome-focused—CXOs, founders, board-level leaders, and globally mobile professionals (often 45+).

It’s a pragmatic wedge. High-touch membership models can:

  • protect quality while the system is refined,
  • build trust through experience rather than marketing,
  • generate credible outcomes stories (the only marketing that matters in health).

From there, the model can expand into broader segments and partnerships—especially in an environment like the UAE where premium experience and measurable outcomes are powerful adoption catalysts.

The Trust Test: No Magic Claims, Just Clear Guardrails

AI in health is powerful—and sensitive. Adoption depends on trust:

  • What is informational vs diagnostic?
  • How is data stored and consent managed?
  • How are recommendations explained?
  • Where does clinician oversight come in?

The healthiest framing is simple: AI doesn’t replace doctors. It reduces noise, spots patterns, and improves follow-through. It helps people act earlier, more consistently, and with fewer blind spots.

What Success Looks Like in the UAE

If Prana AI + SindyXR execute well, the UAE could become a flagship market for a new category: personalized preventive health that feels as seamless as concierge banking.

Success won’t be measured by how “advanced” the tech sounds. It will be measured by:

  • consistent engagement over months (not weeks),
  • measurable improvement in key markers,
  • fewer health surprises,
  • better energy, sleep, recovery, and resilience.

Because the future of health won’t be another appointment.

It will be a smarter system around you—quietly keeping you on course.

“The UAE is uniquely positioned to lead this shift: people here value time, discretion, and outcomes. Personalized health will win when it feels as seamless as concierge banking—and as measurable as a performance dashboard.” – Subrato Basu, Global Managing Partner, The Executive Board

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AL OSTAD PALLET FACTORY APPOINTS ZAYSTACK INTELLIZENCE TO ADVISE ON DIGITISATION AND AUTOMATION PROGRAMME

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14 hours ago

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February 20, 2026

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Process digitalisation programme set to create another industry benchmark for Dubai Industrial City-headquartered Al Ostad Pallet Factory

Al Ostad Pallet Factory, based in Dubai Industrial City, has appointed ZayStack Intellizence to deliver a groundbreaking programme to digitise and automate core business processes across sales, procurement, production, inventory, and delivery.

Under the agreement, ZayStack will support an initial three-month phase focused on “quick wins and foundations”, including current-state assessment, process mapping and advanced software and AI tool recommendations. The project will also see rollout of practical templates, dashboards and minimum viable automations, designed to improve visibility and accountability across operations.

The recently inked agreement is part of Al Ostad’s continuing evolution, ensuring it keeps delivering value to its ever-growing customer base, building on more than 25 years in business with strong investment in the technology-driven future of the logistics sector.

The engagement aims to help Al Ostad reduce manual, person-dependent workflows and move towards a more digitally enabled, data-driven operating model that supports long-term growth, improved decision-making, and stronger customer communication. The project will help employees understand how to use cutting-edge AI tools to increase productivity.

Alex George, Managing Director, Al Ostad Pallet Factory, said: “Al Ostad Pallet Factory has grown on the strength of operational know-how and a hands-on approach.  Now, we need to ensure our team is AI prepared, and that we all understand how to make best use of AI across our business.

“This programme is about putting the right digital foundations in place so we can improve visibility, reduce friction in day-to-day workflows, and scale with confidence, all while continuing to deliver reliably for our customers.”

Alex is keen to implement cutting-edge technologies at his 8,000 square meter DIC manufacturing facility, and is intent on becoming “best in class” for logistics and packaging solutions, aiming for the number one position regionally.

“We’re on track,” Alex says with confidence. “It’s about being ready for the future – a future where technology, sustainability, and supply chain resilience define the leaders in manufacturing. We want to be at the forefront of that shift.”

Alex believes the new workflows Zaystack will deliver will create a new industry benchmark in the region.

Tarun Malik, Partner, ZayStack Intellizence LLP, said: “Manufacturing businesses don’t need ‘digital’ for its own sake, they need practical systems that improve speed, accuracy and accountability. We’ll be working closely with Al Ostad to identify critical workflows and establish the dashboards, templates and ‘intelligent’ automation foundations that support sustainable, long-term adoption.”

The programme also includes a review of document management and IT readiness (hardware and network), with training and change-management support to help teams adopt new ways of working.

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BOLT GAINS GROWTH MOMENTUM AS 1,823 NATIONAL TAXIS JOIN PLATFORM

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15 hours ago

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February 20, 2026

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Marking another milestone towards shaping the future of urban mobility in the UAE, Dubai Taxi Company (DTC), together with its strategic partner Bolt, has entered into a strategic alliance with National Taxi LLC to enhance the ride-hailing experience for residents and visitors across Dubai.

The partnership was formalised through the signing of an agreement between Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi Company, and Toufic Mitri, Managing Director of National Taxi LLC, marking a significant milestone in Dubai’s journey toward smarter, more accessible, and customer-centric transport solutions.

Under the agreement, 1,823 National Taxi vehicles will be seamlessly integrated into the Bolt platform, significantly expanding fleet capacity and service coverage. The integration will increase availability, reduce waiting times, and enhance overall operational efficiency, delivering faster ETAs and a more reliable customer experience, particularly during peak periods. The expanded fleet also supports higher driver earnings through increased trip volumes, while reinforcing Bolt’s position as a trusted and growing e-hailing platform in Dubai.

Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi Company, said: “At DTC, we are committed to building strategic partnerships that enhance customer experience while strengthening Dubai’s mobility ecosystem. Through this collaboration, and with the addition of National taxis to our existing fleet of over 10,000 taxis on the Bolt platform, we are expanding access to taxis and embedding them more deeply into the digital ride-hailing experience. This integration brings us closer to reaching 80 percent target set by Dubai Government of converting street hailing trips to e-hailing.”

“The growing demand for taxi services in Dubai is being driven by rapid digital transformation, sustained urbanisation, strong tourism growth, and ongoing fleet modernisation, key pillars of a thriving city’s economy. By aligning our services with these drivers, we are building a resilient, future-ready mobility network that supports economic growth, improves driver opportunities, and delivers seamless journeys for residents and visitors alike.”, he added.

“We are glad to have our fleet of 1823 taxis on one of the UAE’s leading e-hailing platforms, Bolt. This partnership represents a significant step forward in optimising fleet utilisation and enhancing operational efficiency. With the smart technology and real-time demand matching capabilities of the Bolt platform, we are able to reduce idle time, improve driver productivity, and deliver faster, more reliable service to customers. Beyond efficiency, this collaboration enables us to elevate service quality while supporting more sustainable mobility through better route optimisation and reduced unnecessary mileage.”, said Toufic Mitri, Managing Director of National Taxi LLC.

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