Qatar Poised To Strengthen Regional AI Leadership Through Global Tech Partnerships

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Deepak John | The Peninsula

Doha: Qatar's growing ambitions to establish itself as a regional hub for AI, digital transformation and innovation are creating new opportunities for international technology partnerships and investment. However, translating these ambitions into sustainable economic and business outcomes will depend on how effectively organisations move beyond experimental AI projects and integrate emerging technologies into their core operations.

In an interview with The Peninsula, on the sidelines of MWC26 Doha, Joseph Abboud, Technology Consulting Partner at PwC Middle East, said the event is an opportunity for the country to strengthen its presence in the global technology landscape and build international partnerships that turn innovation into practical outcomes.

He noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has strong foundations for AI-driven growth, with governments placing AI and digital transformation at the centre of their national agendas, while organisations continue to invest in the infrastructure, platforms and capabilities required to scale emerging technologies.

For Qatar, Abboud said, international collaboration can accelerate the development of these capabilities, connect technology investments with real business needs and demonstrate how AI can deliver measurable value.

However, moving from AI experimentation to large-scale adoption remains a significant challenge for organisations across the region.

According to PwC research, while 59% of GCC technology leaders believe their data, platforms and governance frameworks are ready to support AI at scale, many organisations are still developing the capabilities required for enterprise-wide transformation.

The challenges are both technical and organisational. In scaling AI agents, 47% of GCC technology leaders identify legacy system integration and regulatory requirements as key barriers, while skills shortages, governance and data quality also remain important concerns.

Abboud said organisations in Qatar need to move beyond isolated AI use cases by strengthening their data foundations, redesigning workflows and establishing clear accountability for AI outcomes.

He emphasised that sustainable business value will come from embedding AI into organisational processes rather than treating it as a standalone technology initiative.

The growing importance of AI is also reshaping the role of chief information officers (CIOs), with technology leadership increasingly becoming a strategic business function rather than being limited to managing IT operations.

PwC research indicates that the proportion of GCC technology leaders who view orchestrating technology, AI and people as their primary mandate is expected to increase from 35% to 45% over the next 12 to 18 months.

At the same time, 43% expect IT performance to be measured primarily against business outcomes, compared with just 16% today.

For CIOs in Qatar, this shift means taking greater responsibility for how technology contributes to business growth, productivity and operational transformation. While technical expertise remains essential, Abboud said business understanding, financial accountability and the ability to bring people and technology together are becoming equally important.

Another critical issue for organisations investing in AI is demonstrating tangible returns. While technology spending continues to rise, measuring its actual contribution to business performance remains a challenge.

PwC research shows that 93% of GCC technology leaders with visibility of their AI budgets expect spending to increase. However, only 25% have advanced AI cost-management capabilities, while just 5% directly link AI spending to business value.

Abboud said organisations need to shift their attention from the scale of their AI investments to the outcomes those investments generate.

He stressed that every AI initiative should be linked to clearly defined business objectives, including reducing operating costs, improving productivity, enhancing customer experience or generating new revenue streams.

For businesses in Qatar, this requires establishing performance measures from the outset, understanding the full cost of AI implementation and prioritising solutions that demonstrate genuine returns.

He added that AI success should ultimately be measured by business outcomes rather than the number of technologies deployed.

Alongside investment in emerging technologies, modernising existing digital infrastructure will also be essential to ensuring that organisations can fully benefit from AI.

Abboud said investments in innovation and infrastructure modernisation should not be viewed as competing priorities, but as complementary elements of a successful digital transformation strategy.

With 47% of GCC technology leaders identifying legacy system integration as a major barrier to scaling AI agents, he warned that even advanced AI solutions could struggle to deliver consistent value without the right technological foundations.

For organisations in Qatar, the priority should be targeted modernisation, improving data quality, strengthening integration between systems and developing platforms capable of supporting AI at scale.

Rather than replacing entire technology environments at once, businesses should identify infrastructure limitations that are preventing their most valuable AI initiatives from progressing and direct investments towards addressing those constraints.

Abboud said the objective should be to create a technology environment that enables innovation today while remaining scalable, secure and resilient in the future.

As Qatar continues to advance its digital transformation ambitions and deepen its engagement with the global technology ecosystem, the next phase of progress will depend not simply on adopting new technologies, but on building the organisational capabilities, infrastructure and governance needed to turn innovation into lasting value.

MENAFN13112026000063011010ID1111956765