In an opinion piece for TahawulTech, QBurst CEO Arun ‘Rak’ Ramchandran highlights how the Middle East is transitioning from AI fascination to operational autonomy, with the GCC emerging as a global laboratory for Agentic AI.

He notes that while Western markets debate AI’s role, enterprises in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are embedding autonomous systems into core operations, backed by initiatives such as the UAE National Strategy for AI 2031.

Rak argues that the success of Agentic AI in the Middle East hinges on “High AI-Q,” a concept defined by organization-wide AI literacy and the ability to apply it to mission-critical business problems. In a fast-moving GCC market—where IT spending is projected to reach $169 billion—building a fully AI-proficient workforce is a critical competitive edge, supported by the region’s relative freedom from legacy technology debt.

He spotlights three marquee capabilities tailored to the regional landscape to help enterprises navigate this shift:

• Managed AI Agents that orchestrate end-to-end workflows
  
• Intelligent Enterprise Platforms delivering real-time embedded intelligence
  
• Experience-Driven AI enabling contextual, multilingual engagement
  

Rak concludes that high regional trust in AI and a production-first mindset are turning the GCC into a fertile ground for the next phase of Agentic AI. He adds that this “New Digital Silk Road” will enter a more mature era defined by scaled, execution-driven operations.

Read the full article on TahawulTech.