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

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.