Latest news with #KaisZribi
Channel Post MEA
a day ago
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
UAE Tech Leaders View Cloud & GenAI Transformation As Top Business Priorities: Coursera-AWS Report
A majority of UAE technology leaders identify cloud (93%) and Generative AI (GenAI) (89%) transformation as top business priorities over the next three years, recognizing both as foundational to future growth. That's according to new research from leading global online learning platform Coursera, developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Titled From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation, the report offers key insights into how organizations and their senior technology leaders are strategically addressing skills gaps to meet their digital transformation goals. Core findings show that UAE tech leaders view keeping pace with technology (61%) and staying ahead of security threats (60%) as the most critically important drivers of skills development. Optimizing cloud spend (59%) and managing complex infrastructures (52%) were also cited as major concerns, underscoring the urgent need for a skilled workforce. Kais Zribi, Coursera's General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said: 'While automation is vital to transforming teams, workflows, and business operations, the UAE data reveal that strategic investments in human capital through upskilling and reskilling will be crucial to driving innovation. As organizations look to fully harness the potential of cloud and AI, investing equally in technology and people will be foundational to building a future-ready workforce. 'This report delivers a clear mandate for technology leaders: investing in skills development must be a cornerstone of every transformation strategy.' The report also highlights that 95% of tech leaders worldwide view cloud transformation as a key business goal. Globally, foundational skills are prioritized, with 63% ranking cloud skills, such as cloud development and engineering, as the most critical, followed by data (58%) and cybersecurity (54%). AI skills rank fourth, with 47% identifying them as important over the next three years. Globally, tech leaders report clear benefits from investing in skills development, including enhanced performance and productivity (72%), greater workforce agility (67%), and improved talent mobility (58%). More than half (52%) of global tech leaders expect 30-50% of tasks to be automated. Nearly 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. Yet, 88% believe human contributions remain irreplaceable, emphasizing that AI success depends on greater investment in talent development. In fact, 77% of leaders globally recognize that upskilling existing employees will be essential to achieving transformation goals within the next 12 to 18 months. The global study was conducted across the US, the UK, India, the UAE, France, and Mexico between March and April 2025. It captures insights from more than 750 technology leaders responsible for large-scale digital transformation initiatives at organizations with over 1,000 employees and average annual revenues exceeding US$100 million (with UAE-based companies averaging US$21.6 billion).
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Cloud, GenAI skills top priority for UAE tech leaders, says study
A majority of UAE technology leaders identify cloud (93%) and Generative AI (GenAI) (89%) transformation as top business priorities over the next three years, recognizing both as foundational to future growth, according to a new research from leading global online learning platform Coursera, developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Titled From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation, the report offers key insights into how organizations and their senior technology leaders are strategically addressing skills gaps to meet their digital transformation goals. The global study was conducted across the US, the UK, India, the UAE, France, and Mexico between March and April 2025. It captures insights from more than 750 technology leaders responsible for large-scale digital transformation initiatives at organizations with over 1,000 employees and average annual revenues exceeding $100 million (with UAE-based companies averaging $21.6 billion). Core findings show that UAE tech leaders view keeping pace with technology (61%) and staying ahead of security threats (60%) as the most critically important drivers of skills development. Optimizing cloud spend (59%) and managing complex infrastructures (52%) were also cited as major concerns, underscoring the urgent need for a skilled workforce. Kais Zribi, Coursera's General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said: "While automation is vital to transforming teams, workflows, and business operations, the UAE data reveal that strategic investments in human capital through upskilling and reskilling will be crucial to driving innovation. As organizations look to fully harness the potential of cloud and AI, investing equally in technology and people will be foundational to building a future-ready workforce." "This report delivers a clear mandate for technology leaders: investing in skills development must be a cornerstone of every transformation strategy," he stated. The report also highlights that 95% of tech leaders worldwide view cloud transformation as a key business goal. Globally, foundational skills are prioritized, with 63% ranking cloud skills, such as cloud development and engineering, as the most critical, followed by data (58%) and cybersecurity (54%). AI skills rank fourth, with 47% identifying them as important over the next three years. Globally, tech leaders report clear benefits from investing in skills development, including enhanced performance and productivity (72%), greater workforce agility (67%), and improved talent mobility (58%). More than half (52%) of global tech leaders expect 30-50% of tasks to be automated. Nearly 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, said the study. Yet, 88% believe human contributions remain irreplaceable, emphasizing that AI success depends on greater investment in talent development. In fact, 77% of leaders globally recognize that upskilling existing employees will be essential to achieving transformation goals within the next 12 to 18 months, it added. Copyright 2025 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
UAE Tech Leaders Double Down on Cloud & GenAI Skills to fuel digital transformation, new Coursera-AWS report reveals
Abu Dhabi, UAE: A majority of UAE technology leaders identify cloud (93%) and Generative AI (GenAI) (89%) transformation as top business priorities over the next three years, recognizing both as foundational to future growth. That's according to new research from leading global online learning platform Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Titled From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation, the report offers key insights into how organizations and their senior technology leaders are strategically addressing skills gaps to meet their digital transformation goals. Core findings show that UAE tech leaders view keeping pace with technology (61%) and staying ahead of security threats (60%) as the most critically important drivers of skills development. Optimizing cloud spend (59%) and managing complex infrastructures (52%) were also cited as major concerns, underscoring the urgent need for a skilled workforce. Kais Zribi, Coursera's General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said: 'While automation is vital to transforming teams, workflows, and business operations, the UAE data reveal that strategic investments in human capital through upskilling and reskilling will be crucial to driving innovation. As organizations look to fully harness the potential of cloud and AI, investing equally in technology and people will be foundational to building a future-ready workforce. 'This report delivers a clear mandate for technology leaders: investing in skills development must be a cornerstone of every transformation strategy.' The report also highlights that 95% of tech leaders worldwide view cloud transformation as a key business goal. Globally, foundational skills are prioritized, with 63% ranking cloud skills, such as cloud development and engineering, as the most critical, followed by data (58%) and cybersecurity (54%). AI skills rank fourth, with 47% identifying them as important over the next three years. Globally, tech leaders report clear benefits from investing in skills development, including enhanced performance and productivity (72%), greater workforce agility (67%), and improved talent mobility (58%). More than half (52%) of global tech leaders expect 30-50% of tasks to be automated. Nearly 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. Yet, 88% believe human contributions remain irreplaceable, emphasizing that AI success depends on greater investment in talent development. In fact, 77% of leaders globally recognize that upskilling existing employees will be essential to achieving transformation goals within the next 12 to 18 months. The global study was conducted across the US, the UK, India, the UAE, France, and Mexico between March and April 2025. It captures insights from more than 750 technology leaders responsible for large-scale digital transformation initiatives at organizations with over 1,000 employees and average annual revenues exceeding US$100 million (with UAE-based companies averaging US$21.6 billion). About Coursera Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 183 million registered learners as of June 30, 2025. Coursera partners with over 350 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, and degrees. Coursera's platform innovations enable instructors to deliver scalable, personalized, and verified learning experiences to their learners. Institutions worldwide rely on Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in high-demand fields such as GenAI, data science, technology, and business. Coursera is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a B Corp.
TECHx
2 days ago
- Business
- TECHx
UAE Tech Leaders Prioritize Cloud and AI Skills Growth
Home » Emerging technologies » Cloud Computing » UAE Tech Leaders Prioritize Cloud and AI Skills Growth A majority of UAE tech leaders have identified cloud (93%) and Generative AI (GenAI) (89%) transformation as top business priorities for the next three years. This was revealed in a new global study by Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Titled From Cloud to AI: How Tech Leaders are Investing in Skills Development to Drive Transformation , the report offers insights into how organizations are addressing skills gaps to meet digital transformation goals. The report found that 61% of UAE tech leaders see keeping pace with technology as a critical driver of skills development. Meanwhile, 60% cited staying ahead of security threats. Other key concerns include optimizing cloud spend (59%) and managing complex infrastructures (52%). Kais Zribi, General Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Coursera, said strategic investments in upskilling and reskilling are crucial for driving innovation. He emphasized that while automation is transforming business operations, investing in people remains essential. Coursera reported that: 95% of global tech leaders consider cloud transformation a key business goal. 63% ranked cloud skills, such as development and engineering, as most critical. Data (58%), cybersecurity (54%), and AI (47%) skills followed closely in priority. Additionally, 52% of global tech leaders expect 30–50% of tasks to be automated. Nearly all (99%) anticipate their codebases will be at least partially developed using AI within three years. However, 88% believe human input remains irreplaceable, highlighting the need for talent development. Coursera noted that 77% of leaders globally believe upskilling existing employees is essential to achieving transformation goals in the next 12 to 18 months. The global study covered tech leaders from the US, UK, India, UAE, France, and Mexico. It included over 750 participants managing digital transformation efforts in organizations with over 1,000 employees and annual revenues above US$100 million. UAE companies surveyed reported an average annual revenue of US$21.6 billion.
Tahawul Tech
2 days ago
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
UAE enterprises prioritise cloud, cyber skills to unlock AI transformation, says Coursera
AI adoption is accelerating, and UAE tech leaders are turning to cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and continuous learning as the cornerstones of future-ready enterprises. Technology executives in the United Arab Emirates are making bold strides toward digital maturity, underpinned by strategic investments in cloud and cybersecurity capabilities. The Coursera From Cloud to AI 2025 survey, conducted in partnership with AWS, highlights how UAE companies are aligning skill development with transformation goals to unlock the full potential of AI. Kais Zribi, Coursera's General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said: 'While automation is vital to transforming teams, workflows, and business operations, the UAE data reveal that strategic investments in human capital through upskilling and reskilling will be crucial to driving innovation. As organizations look to fully harness the potential of cloud and AI, investing equally in technology and people will be foundational to building a future-ready workforce. 'This report delivers a clear mandate for technology leaders: investing in skills development must be a cornerstone of every transformation strategy.' According to the report, which surveyed over 750 senior technology leaders across six global markets, UAE-based organisations allocate an average of 12.4% of team budgets to skills development, placing them among the top global investors in upskilling. The average annual revenue of participating UAE companies stood at $21.6 billion, signalling strong institutional capacity to lead technological change. Keeping pace with innovation has emerged as the top driver for workforce development, cited by 61% of UAE technology leaders, followed closely by the need to stay ahead of security threats (60%). This dual focus reflects a region-wide awareness that technological advancement and resilience must go hand in hand. While cloud transformation and generative AI (GenAI) are both flagged as critical business priorities over the next three years, UAE leaders are deliberately sequencing their efforts. Foundational skills—particularly in cloud architecture, data governance, and cybersecurity—are seen as prerequisites for deploying AI effectively at scale. Human talent remains central to this vision. The report notes that 88% of technology leaders globally—and in the UAE—believe AI initiatives will fail without robust investments in skills development. Practical learning, real-world simulations, and customised training environments are considered essential to bridging the AI capability gap. Rather than relying solely on new hires, UAE organisations are investing in their existing workforce. This approach supports institutional continuity while fostering innovation from within. Leaders also acknowledge the importance of aligning training with workplace challenges, ensuring employees can immediately apply new tools and frameworks. The UAE's strategic prioritisation of infrastructure, security, and human capital places it in a strong position to lead in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Enterprises that embed continuous learning into their transformation roadmaps are more likely to generate sustainable competitive advantage in an AI-driven future.
