How Dubai-Based Company Accelerated AI Transformation Amid Regional Conflict

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) [Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments since the US-Iran war started on February 28]

When regional conflict began disrupting business activity, a technology chief expected his company to focus on cutting costs and limiting the impact on its operations. Instead, he was told to accelerate the company's artificial intelligence plans.

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The experience, he explained, showed how business disruption could create an opportunity to advance projects that might otherwise take longer to implement.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Unlocking AI for the GCC Workforce event in Dubai last week, Himanshu Shrivastava, Chief Technology Officer at Al-Futtaim, told Khaleej Times the regional conflict had helped speed up the group's AI transformation rather than delay it.

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He said the expectation among those attending was that the discussion would focus on reducing costs and managing business disruption. Instead, the group's leadership encouraged him to use the period to move forward with transformation projects, as business teams would have more time to work with the technology division.

Two major AI programmes initiated

According to Shrivastava, they initiated two major programmes during the conflict. The first is a group-wide AI platform designed to support more intelligent business operations and decision-making. The second programme focuses on customer service and customer management.

Both initiatives were started during the period of regional uncertainty. Rather than seeing his team's responsibilities reduced, Shrivastava said the decision increased his workload.

Shrivastava compared the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, when companies were forced to reconsider how they operated and adopt digital solutions more quickly.

He argued that organisations which accelerated their digital transformation during the pandemic emerged in stronger positions.

For businesses facing uncertainty today, he said the lesson is to identify their most important transformation priorities and act on them rather than wait for conditions to stabilise.

"If companies don't take these opportunities to accelerate their agenda, they will be left behind," he told Khaleej Times, noting the regional uncertainty should encourage organisations to examine which transformation initiatives matter most to their long-term operations.

He added companies which make progress during difficult periods could be better positioned to recover when conditions normalise.

Looking beyond the disruption

The comments came as Al-Futtaim hosted a leadership discussion on AI adoption and workforce readiness across the GCC.

It was pointed out that AI is already helping employees across the Gulf complete tasks faster and save hours each week. But despite its growing use, many workers still lack the confidence and training needed to make the most of the technology.

The study revealed that 82 per cent of surveyed professionals in the GCC's consumer economy use AI daily or weekly, yet only 39 per cent feel very or extremely confident using it. The survey was conducted in March 2026 across the six GCC countries covering sectors including retail, automotive, hospitality and technology were surveyed.

While the event's research highlighted the need for stronger employee training and confidence, Shrivastava's remarks pointed to the importance of leadership decisions in determining how quickly transformation can happen.

The event brought together representatives from Al-Futtaim, IBM, Microsoft and Inception42 to discuss how organisations can move beyond experimenting with AI and turn investment into measurable business results.

Shrivastava's message to other organisations was that waiting for stability could mean missing an opportunity to strengthen their businesses before the next period of recovery.

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