UAE businesses ready to invest in digital transformation

Relax and calm down: artificial intelligence — even though it’s starting to beat humans in Go — isn’t exactly something we should fear.

But let’s get this out of the way first; in any transformation, you lose some and win some. When it comes to AI, there will definitely be gains and losses. Gartner Inc., an American research and advisory firm, said AI will be a ‘positive net job motivator’: while the sector would indeed create 2.3 million jobs by 2020, it would be at the expense of losing 1.8 million.

“However, we have to keep in mind that nothing will beat real intelligence: Remember, us humans created AI, so there will always be a need for teams to supervise these systems in order for them to continue to run smoothly. What once started as performing mundane, routine tasks, robotics and AI have spawned a life of its own. It’s even starting to replace white-collar workers,” AXA Insurance CIO Bruno Fonseca said at DigiTrans 2017.

In the UAE, more firms are ready for the major digital shift: An MIT Management Sloan Review reveals that 73 per cent of businesses in the nation are ready to invest in digital transformation — something that would allow better service, reduced wait times and more seamless interactions.

“In every transformation, people have to adapt and go out of their comfort zone,” Ahmed Kajoor, head of the IT department at Dubai Municipality, said at the forum. “Yes, old jobs will be lost, but new jobs will be created — this is normal... you cannot stay in one place and have everything come to you.”