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GLOBAL RETAIL INNOVATION STEPS INTO SMARTER PHASE DRIVEN BY AI AND AUTOMATION

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Based on your feature article about AI and automation in retail, here is a precise ALT text description for your WordPress post. This description is designed to be highly descriptive for accessibility while reinforcing your focus on "Smarter Retail" and AI technology. ALT Text Description "A futuristic smart retail store interior featuring AI-powered aisles where overhead sensors and computer vision cameras track inventory in real-time. A shopper is seen using a smart cart with an integrated touchscreen displaying a live tally of items and personalized digital coupons, illustrating the seamless fusion of automation and data-driven shopping experiences in the global retail sector.

Retail stores and supermarkets are now in the midst of an innovative transformation. Spaces that once used to be defined by stocked shelves and friendly sales associates are now experiencing the ripples of the accelerated digital transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation and data-driven insights are paving the way for smart stores which, on one hand, offer shoppers personalised experiences, while on the other hand, help retailers better understand evolving customer behaviour.

Global trends show how food retailers are also piloting AI-first experiences that match personalisation and ease of eCommerce platforms. By integrating advanced features such as AI sensors, smart carts, autonomous checkout counters and real-time inventory engines, retailers are offering efficient, fast and hassle-free shopping. This shift also gives retailers the benefit of higher conversion and lower operating costs.

As technologies like AI continue to evolve, retailers are leveraging them to optimise pricing, predict consumer behaviour and enhance in-store experiences to create a dynamic retail environment internationally. Current trends indicate a shift towards AI-powered automation in supply chain management, augmented reality for enhanced shopping experiences, and AI-driven marketing strategies which will be discussed at Gulfood 2026, the largest global food show in depth.

Speaking of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Artificial Intelligence in Retail market report stated the nation is projected to grow from USD 16.82 million in 2023 to USD 157.86 million in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.21 per cent. The UAE’s grocery market is also expanding rapidly, projected to reach USD 38.6 million by 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7 per cent through 2029, with online sales accounting for 15 per cent of total sales. Likewise, Saudi Arabia’s online grocery sector was valued at USD 1.54 billion in 2024 and is expected to expand further, with a projected CAGR of 15.9 per cent through 2033.

Government initiatives to promote AI integration

The UAE government strives to capitalise on this positive market landscape by fostering a favourable environment for AI deployment and integration. Initiatives such as the UAE National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 aims to boost government performance and create new markets with high economic value by 2031, thereby positioning the country as a global hub for AI innovations. In line with this, the UAE government is encouraging retail businesses to integrate AI technologies into their operations.

Similarly, the UAE continues to host major global and regional events that accelerate the transformation of the retail sector and showcase the future of tech-enabled commerce. For instance, Gulfood 2026, the world’s largest annual food show, which is being held in Dubai, from January 26 to January 30 will showcase a wide array of innovations happening in the food retail sector. By convening global F&B leaders and decision-makers, including CEOs, heads of state, trade officials, investors, academics, scientists, tech innovators and more under one roof, it will set the ideal stage to lead open discussions and exchange ideas on the possibilities of AI integration and digital transformation in food retail.

Predictive Analytics and Demand Forecasting with AI

The growing momentum of technological innovations is further highlighted by increased use of AI-powered predictive analytics in the country’s retail market. Businesses are now leveraging data to forecast customer demand and optimise inventory management. AI-algorithms that accurately predict purchasing patterns, help retailers retain optimal stock levels, reduce waste and reinforce supply chain efficiency. It also helps retailers design engaging promotional campaigns, refine customer engagement strategies and align their stocks with seasonal trends. This aspect of predictive analytics is beneficial in the UAE’s rapidly evolving retail market, where demand fluctuations can be unpredictable and competitive pressures are high.

The country’s growing focus on AI-powered retail innovations is already being translated into real-world examples. Fully automated stores, such as Carrefour’s Dubai pilot, have proven that AI-powered retail is more than just a concept. These stores demonstrate how automation can improve efficiency, though they can also pose several challenges related to error resolution and data privacy.

Looking ahead, retailers that continue to embrace innovation are projected to unlock new market possibilities. The integration of AI will help refine everything from product selections and store operations to marketing campaigns, helping business leaders make informed decisions. Meanwhile, from a shopper’s perspective, the combination of advanced edge computing and digital signage can offer a personalised shopping experience. The integration of AI will also improve visual search capabilities, helping consumers to find items on retail websites simply with a picture of the item.

As the region’s retail sector continues to leverage AI’s vast possibilities, the key to success of these efforts lies in balancing innovations with customer centricity. The insights shared at Al-Futtaim’s AI in Retail Roundtable [3] offer a clear roadmap for GCC retailers to harness AI responsibly and effectively. In order to localise the experience, brands must design AI solutions that respect the region’s cultural diversity while meeting the expectations of an evolving customer base. Another key point highlighted during the roundtable is humanising the digital experience to ensure that technology strengthens emotional connections rather than replacing them. Retailers should also focus on seamless personalisation across channels, linking online and offline journeys into one unified experience.

Above all, the key to guaranteeing the success of this transformation is transparency and trust. By seeking consent and clearly communicating how data boosts customers’ convenience, retailers can build loyalty that lasts well beyond the transaction.

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Anomali to Address the Next Phase of AI-Led Cyber Defense at GISEC 2026

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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
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HONOR BRINGS ITS ALPHA PLAN TO LIFE AT LEAP 2026 WITH THE WORLD’S FIRST ROBOT PHONE AND RENEWED “DARE TO BE” BRAND DIRECTION

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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.

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greytHR expands agentic AI-powered HR execution across Middle East region with greytHR NAVOS

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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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