GCC innovation surge driven by strategic investment

Doha: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is emerging as a global hotspot for artificial intelligence innovation, fueled by robust infrastructur...

Doha: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is emerging as a global hotspot for artificial intelligence innovation, fueled by robust infrastructure investments, strategic partnerships, and an influx of global talent.

At the Qatar Economic Forum 2025, regional AI leaders expressed optimism about the trajectory of AI development in the Middle East, citing a fertile ecosystem for startups and enterprise applications alike.

Speaking on a panel titled ‘AI in Action: Practical Applications in the GCC,’ Nour Al Hassan, Founder and CEO of Arabic AI & Tarjama, and Magda Davila, CEO for Middle East & APAC at Clarity AI, highlighted the rapid maturation of the region’s AI landscape.

“Developments in AI across the GCC are exciting and full of opportunity,” Al Hassan said. “There’s a lot of emphasis and investment happening in infrastructure, which allows companies like ours to benefit eventually.”

While governments across the region are heavily investing in foundational technologies like data centers and large language models, Al Hassan noted that the most immediate opportunities lie in enterprise partnerships. “Our direction is more to work with enterprises and consulting companies, not necessarily governments right now. Many of these initiatives are building their own AI systems, and we expect a second phase where they will partner with specialised companies like ours for integration and domain-specific applications,” she explained.