Tech Leaders in UAE Call for Workforce Education in Cloud and Artificial Intelligence for Transformation Advancement
UAE Technology Leaders Embrace Cloud and AI Transformation
A new report titled "From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation" by Coursera Inc. and Amazon Web Services reveals that UAE technology leaders are prioritizing digital transformation, with a focus on cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Key priorities for UAE tech leaders include:
- Strengthening AI and cloud capabilities to foster innovation and efficiency in businesses.
- Upskilling the workforce to meet evolving technology demands.
- Adopting advanced technologies such as AI to improve operational agility and customer service.
- Fostering a culture of continuous learning and transformation enabled by technology investments.
These priorities align with UAE initiatives aimed at promoting technology readiness and upskilling. For instance, the Abu Dhabi Chamber's "House of Innovation" initiative helps Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt AI and align with green economy standards. Moreover, the UAE’s federal budget for 2025–2028 includes substantial investment in AI, education, and healthcare.
UAE organizations like Al Masraf and Tawazun are also accelerating digital transformation strategies by focusing on operational agility, automation, risk compliance, and talent development.
In terms of specific areas of focus, managing complex infrastructures, optimizing cloud spend, and cybersecurity skills are major concerns for UAE tech leaders. Globally, cloud skills are the most critically prioritized, with 63% ranking them as such. Cybersecurity skills are the third most critically prioritized, with 54% ranking them as such.
AI skills rank fourth, with 47% identifying them as important over the next three years. In fact, a majority of UAE technology leaders identify Generative AI (GenAI) as a top business priority over the next three years. Almost all (99%) anticipate their codebases will be partially AI-generated or developed with AI assistance in the next three years, with 86% expecting 20-50% of their codebase to involve AI in its creation.
Data skills are the second most critically prioritized, with 58% ranking them as such. UAE tech leaders view keeping pace with technology as the most critically important driver of skills development.
The report also highlights the importance of human contributions in AI success, with 88% believing that human contributions remain irreplaceable.
Interestingly, more than half (52%) of global tech leaders expect 30-50% of tasks to be automated. However, 58% of tech leaders globally report improved talent mobility from skills development investments, and 67% of tech leaders globally report greater workforce agility from these investments.
Finally, 77% of leaders globally recognize that upskilling existing employees will be essential to achieving transformation goals within the next 12 to 18 months. This underscores the importance of continuous learning and the fostering of a culture of transformation enabled by technology investments.
In conclusion, the report underscores the importance of skills development in cloud and AI as central to UAE tech leaders' strategies, supporting national goals of economic diversification, talent development, and global competitiveness in technology-driven sectors.
- To achieve their transformation goals within the next 12 to 18 months, UAE tech leaders recognize the importance of upskilling existing employees, particularly in areas such as cloud infrastructure management, optimizing cloud spend, and cybersecurity.
- As part of their digital transformation strategies, UAE organizations like Al Masraf and Tawazun are focusing on operational agility, automation, and risk compliance, while simultaneously prioritizing talent development.
- In line with UAE initiatives aimed at promoting technology readiness and upskilling, UAE tech leaders view continuous learning and education as key drivers for meeting evolving technology demands, aligning with the federal budget for 2025–2028's substantial investment in AI, education, and healthcare.
