KSA, UAE lead in agentic AI; AIREV appoints chairman

Middle East AI News weekly digest...

Good morning!

Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!

Another huge week for AI across the Middle East! In this edition, the UAE Presidential Court launches its AI-powered spokesperson Zayed, while two government bodies target 75% Agentic AI adoption within two years; SAP reports that 91 per cent of organisations in Saudi Arabia are seeing AI deliver results; Khalifa University releases an industry-beating telecom reasoning model and advances AI for cancer diagnosis; and Qatar expands investment in AI talent.

Meanwhile, just two weeks left to RAISE Summit, which takes place at the Louvre in Paris (8-9 July). If you’re considering attending RAISE, do take advantage of the Middle East AI News exclusive discount code (MEAN20) when you buy your ticket, which gives 20% off either PRO or VIP passes for the event. Tickets here.

Thanks for reading!

/Carrington

New AI Models

KU releases top-ranked telecom reasoning model

#UAE #telecom - Khalifa University’s new telecom reasoning model TelecomGPT-R1 has secured first place on the GSMA Open Telco Leaderboard. The open 27-billion-parameter reasoning model achieved an average score of 89.6%, outperforming open and proprietary competitors while supporting next-generation telecom networks and emerging 6G research. (Middle East AI News)

Khalifa University advances AI cancer analysis

#UAE #medical - Researchers at Khalifa University have developed an AI model that analyses cancer pathology slides across multiple levels, reflecting how human pathologists examine tissue. Presented at CVPR 2026, the system outperformed rival models across 13 benchmark tests and six diagnostic tasks. (Middle East AI News)

Startups

UAE trade minister appointed AIREV chairman

#UAE #governance - UAE Minister of Foreign Trade H.E. Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi has been appointed Chairman of AIREV, developer of the sovereign AI operating system OnDemand. The appointment links AIREV directly to the UAE’s national trade agenda as the country pushes to export AI and software alongside goods and logistics. (Middle East AI News)

QIA joins $80 million HyperLight optical chip round

#Qatar #funding - Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has joined HyperLight’s $80 million Series C funding round to support optical chip technology for AI data centres and telecom networks. The US photonics company will use the investment to expand manufacturing capacity and scale deployment of its thin-film lithium niobate platform. (Middle East AI News)

Wellbees raises $3.6 million for GCC expansion

#Qatar #funding - Wellbees has secured a $3.6 million Series A round led by Qatar Development Bank to accelerate Gulf expansion. The AI-powered employee wellbeing platform operates across more than 100 countries and 38 languages, with the funding supporting a new Qatar office and regional growth. (Middle East AI News)

Deployment

Saudi and UAE lead in agentic AI deployment

#Saudi #AgenticAI- Organisations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are deploying agentic AI faster than global peers, according to Confluent. The research found 38% operate autonomous AI agents in production environments, compared with a global average of 32%, supported by growing investment in real-time data infrastructure. (Middle East AI News)

91% of Saudi firms report AI delivers results

#Saudi #adoption - A SAP and YouGov survey found 91% of Saudi organisations say their AI initiatives are meeting or exceeding expectations. Among 260 IT decision-makers surveyed, 59% now prioritise enterprise-wide AI investment, while 54% are upskilling or reskilling employees at scale. (Middle East AI News)

Agentic AI

UAE bodies target 75% Agentic AI adoption

#UAE #government - The Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Presidential Court plan to convert 75% of operations and services to Agentic AI within two years, surpassing the federal target of 50%. The initiative was launched alongside internal awards to accelerate AI agent deployment. (Middle East AI News)

AD Ports launches AI intelligence headquarters

#UAE #logistics - AD Ports Group has opened an AI-driven intelligence headquarters in Abu Dhabi managing thousands of digital workers across 20 global workstreams. AI agents are already supporting port operations, vessel coordination, software development and recruitment, highlighting large-scale industrial deployment of agentic AI. (Middle East AI News)

Policy

SDAIA sets framework for state data monetisation

#Saudi #dataservices - Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has introduced a Data Monetization Policy establishing rules for commercial use of government data. The framework includes licensing models, regulatory sandboxes and marketplace registration requirements, creating a clearer legal foundation for data-driven products while protecting data. (Middle East AI News)

Egypt to draft national data centre strategy

#Egypt #datacentres - Egypt has begun developing a national data centre and cloud computing strategy aimed at attracting global providers. Government ministries will combine renewable energy planning, site selection and investment incentives to expand sovereign compute capacity and strengthen Egypt’s role as a regional digital infrastructure hub. (Middle East AI News)

Sharjah issues new law regulating drones

#UAE #drones - Sharjah has introduced a new law regulating drone operations across the emirate, covering public and private sector users. The legislation establishes licensing, registration and airspace rules, while promoting research, innovation and start-up development. (Emirates News Agency)

Talent & Education

Qatar launches digital skills workforce programme

#Qatar #talentpipeline - Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education has launched a Digital Transformation Programme combining scholarships, internships, mentorship and employment pathways for students. The initiative targets AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing and digital analytics skills, while increasing allowances for computer engineering professionals to attract more young Qataris. (Middle East AI News)

Morocco to open YouCode school in Errachidia

#Morocco #training - Morocco’s YouCode initiative will establish a new coding school in Errachidia, training around 100 young people annually. organised under the Jazara Institute, the programme will support digital inclusion, future technology skills development and provide opportunities for talented school dropouts to enter the digital economy. (Africa AI News)

GEMS and Oracle to train 11,000 learners

#UAE #education - GEMS Education and Oracle will train more than 11,000 students and alumni in AI, cloud computing and data analytics over three years. The partnership makes GEMS the first private school network globally to join Oracle University’s Skills Development Initiative. (Middle East AI News)

Saudi launches AI and cloud skills tour

#Saudi #training - Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Google Cloud have launched the AI and Cloud Kingdom Tour, delivering week-long training programmes across 10 regions. The initiative covers generative AI, cybersecurity, machine learning and cloud computing. (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)

Government

UAE Presidential Court launches AI spokesperson Zayed

#UAE #GenAI - The UAE Presidential Court’s International Affairs Office has launched Zayed, an AI-powered spokesperson designed to communicate government initiatives, strategic priorities and international engagements. The project supports institutional communications. (Middle East AI News)

Telecom

e& UAE sets path to autonomous networks

#UAE #telecoms - e& UAE and TM Forum have unveiled a roadmap targeting Level 4 telecom network autonomy by 2030. The blueprint combines AI agents, automation and digital twins to improve operational efficiency, reduce energy consumption and enhance customer experience across future communications networks. (Middle East AI News)

Post-Quantum

TII joins OPAQUE 3.0 for quantum-safe AI security

#UAE #cryptography - Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) has become a founding partner of OPAQUE 3.0, a platform that creates verifiable cryptographic proof of AI system behaviour. TII contributed post-quantum cryptography to protect against future quantum threats, reinforcing the UAE’s role in advancing global AI security infrastructure. (Middle East AI News)

Digital Transformation

Lenovo targets Saudi housing AI partnership

#Saudi #proptech - Lenovo has signed an MoU with National Housing Company Innovation to explore AI, data science and digital infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s housing sector. The partnership also covers advanced data centres, research and development, plus specialised training programmes to strengthen local technology capabilities. (Trade Arabia)

Healthcare

Saudi approves AI app for vital signs monitoring

#Saudi #healthcare - The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has become the first regulator globally to authorise an AI-powered medical application that measures heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure using a smartphone camera. Developed with the Ministry of Health, the app completed evaluation through the SFDA’s Regulatory Sandbox. (Arab News)

[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]