Microsoft: At the forefront of AI transformation

Naim Yazbeck, General Manager of Microsoft UAE, reinforces the company’s unwavering commitment to the AI aspirations and ambitions of the UAE, by outlining their plans to train 100,000 government employees in a new AI skilling program in an exclusive interview with GovTech Editor Mark Forker.

Naim Yazbeck is one of the most respected technology leaders in the Middle East, and one of the most competent IT practitioners when it comes to leading and executing digital transformation programs across multiple industry verticals.

In a storied professional journey to date, Yazbeck began his career at NCR Corporation, before moving on to Citrix Systems.

However, it’s fair to say he made a name for himself at Microsoft, which he joined in 2008.

He initially led Microsoft’s operations in Qatar, before relocating to Dubai with the US technology behemoth in 2016, to head-up their regional sales team.

In 2022, he replaced Sayed Hashish as the new General Manager of Microsoft UAE.

Over the last two years, he has overseen the solidification of Microsoft’s standing as the market incumbent in the technology ecosystem across the UAE.

Microsoft has been right, front and centre in relation to the rapid AI transformation that has occurred across the UAE in the last couple of years, and the backbone of this movement has been underpinned by Microsoft’s datacentres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

In a candid conversation with CNME and GovTech Editor Mark Forker, Yazbeck highlighted the key role Microsoft is playing in the technological and economic development of the UAE.

Yazbeck began our conversation by reinforcing his view that AI transformation was ‘born in the cloud’.

“Microsoft is very much at the forefront of AI transformation across the UAE, and there’s no mistaking that. However, at the end of the day the foundation for AI is cloud technology. The UAE has always been a core focus for Microsoft, and that is evidenced by the datacentres we have established in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We currently have one datacentre in Abu Dhabi, but we have plans in the pipeline to build more, because we know that this AI transformation and movement can only be truly facilitated and supported with a strong cloud foundation,” said Yazbeck.

Yazbeck then revealed some key findings that emerged from Microsoft’s recently published Cloud Dividend Snapshot report for the UAE.

As the old saying goes, the numbers don’t lie.

And the numbers from Microsoft’s Cloud Dividend Snapshot Report are incredibly impressive, with Microsoft’s cloud and partner ecosystem projected to generate around $74.4 billion in revenue between now and 2028.

“I believe that the findings of our latest Cloud Dividend Snapshot Report perfect illustrates the economic impact our cloud technology is having on the UAE GDP. In the next 4 years, Microsoft, along with its partner ecosystem and cloud customers will generate a staggering $74.4 billion in revenue, and that’s substantial when you look at the overall UAE economy. In addition to this, Microsoft will support the local economy by spending more than $5.1 billion on our data centre and digital infrastructure. We have also established that our partners will receive $6.3 for every dollar Microsoft sells, and that will increase to $8 for every dollar Microsoft sells over the next four years,” said Yazbeck.

However, Yazbeck revealed that one of the most significant announcements being made by Microsoft was the creation of around 153,000 jobs in the UAE over the next four years.

“Out of all the numbers I’m revealing to you, the most important is undoubtedly the fact that the whole Microsoft ecosystem from a technology perspective will create around 153,000 jobs over the next four years. These jobs will be created both directly by Microsoft, and indirectly through our customers and partners that use technology that serves Microsoft. We’re extremely proud of the impact we’re delivering in the UAE in terms of economic GDP and job creation,” said Yazbeck.

The UAE is one of the most progressive nations in the world when it comes to innovation and technological advancements.

Microsoft has been a key partner for the UAE on every step of its technological evolution. In a further demonstration of their commitment to helping the UAE achieve its overall goals, the company recently announced the expansion of their global engineering development centres footprint to the UAE.

Yazbeck heralded the government’s ambition to be a global hub for AI.

“Look, I think it’s important to introduce some context here, the UAE is a country that has a phenomenal appetite for digital transformation, and has lofty ambitions and aspirations when it comes to AI. The UAE President was in Washington a few weeks ago, and met with some of the most prominent technology leaders in the world, and a lot of the conversations revolved around AI, and he spoke of his vision for the UAE to be an epicentre for AI. The beauty of this vision is that it trickles down into every facet of the UAE economy. There is a responsibility on everyone to contribute to the vision of the nation, and everyone who is operating in the UAE needs to align their strategy to support the overall AI vision, and this is very unique when compared to other parts of the world. A critical element in facilitating this AI vision is being able to create innovation in the country, and that’s why we are immensely proud to bring our Global Engineering Development Centre to Abu Dhabi”, said Yazbeck.

Yazbeck said that the real impact the Global Engineering Development Centre will have will be in relation to technical talent, and enabling and empowering businesses with the ability to nurture creativity and innovate.

“It is a significant announcement, which will help take the UAE from mostly being a consumer of technology to a creator of cutting edge innovation that will be used around the world. In terms of what results it will yield for the UAE, the obvious one is the technical talent it is going to bring. It will allow the UAE to innovate on a bigger scale than in the past in terms of depth and scale. We’re also going to focus on creating local talent through the centre, and we will partner with several universities all over the UAE to accelerate this movement. In summary, it’s an important development for us, and the UAE, and only serves to reinforce our commitment to the AI vision of the nation,” said Yazbeck.

Microsoft have a whole suite of AI solutions that have really caught fire on a global scale, and one of those is its Microsoft Copilot suite.

According to Yazbeck, Microsoft Copilot has transformed workforce productivity levels at a whole host of multinational organisations across the Middle East region.

“We’ve embedded Copilot into each of our product portfolios from productivity to development, to security and the business application components. It’s become very evident to us how receptive our customers are becoming to Copilot, they are really embracing it. In the UAE, we can see that our customers are adopting it in multiple different ways. However, it’s become quite pertinent in terms of its impact on productivity levels. Take ADNOC for example, they’ve been able to improve the productivity levels for thousands of employees by leveraging the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot. Other large entities like Emirates NBD have harnessed GitHub Copilot for their developers, and they have seen their developers’ productivity improve by 20-30%. In addition to this, Emirates NBD have utilised Copilot in relation to customer service, and they have seen a substantial improvement in that area too, so it’s been hugely beneficial for them from both a productivity and customer service perspective. In summary, the data we have indicates that 77% of people who use Copilot don’t want to go back to working without it, and 85% says that the productivity gains are very clear, and are taking productivity to the next level. So, as I said earlier the numbers don’t lie, and it’s very clear the positive impact that Microsoft 365 Copilot is having for so many enterprises across the UAE,” said Yazbeck.

Microsoft has always adopted an unwavering commitment to skilling and training, and it has been well documented that organisations on a global scale face a huge problem when it comes to finding the right talent to harness the capabilities of disruptive new technologies that continue to emerge, especially in relation to AI.

As always, Microsoft is leading in the space, and Yazbeck revealed that the AI skilling is a major priority for the US technology leader. They are launching an AI skilling program aimed at training 100,000 government employees in the UAE.

“AI skilling is a major priority for us over the next two years. We have to take stock and be cognisant of the fact that when it comes to the AI market, and for all of us to really capitalise on the opportunities of AI then we need to focus on skilling, because the skills required to extract the maximum value from AI is not there. The only way our customers are going to get all the benefits of AI is through an AI skilled workforce. During GITEX 2024, we’re going to officially announce that we will be launching an AI training program designed to train 100,000 government employees across both federal and local government institutions and departments in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. It will be a 12-month program on AI, and we need this training if the UAE government is going to be able to become the global hub for AI innovation that it desperately wants to become. This skilling program represents a substantial investment from Microsoft, and once again shows our commitment to helping the UAE achieve its AI goals and objectives,” said Yazbeck.

The opportunities of Generative AI are boundless. However, there are valid ethical concerns over it in terms of data privacy, hallucinations and biases.

Microsoft coined the term ‘Responsible AI’.

They have recently partnered with G42, on the opening of a new AI centre in Abu Dhabi designed to identify best practices around using AI responsibly.

Yazbeck believes the collaboration represents the intent the UAE and Microsoft both share in ensuring AI is used responsibly.

“Responsibility is at the very core of our AI development. We apply the principles of our Responsible AI strategy in every region we operate in. The partnership with G42 is significant, and ultimately we want to embed our AI principles into our partnership with G42. Our AI for Good program is mainly related to research and development, but it is all intertwined in relation to our overall goal, which is to use AI to help humanity and make the world a better place. The partnership will ensure that AI development in the UAE will be much more responsible, and shows just how serious the nation is when it comes to responsible AI. The UAE wants to lead on AI globally, so it has to show its commitment and focus towards ensuring the technology is used, and developed in a safe and ethical way and that is so important,” said Yazbeck.

Yazbeck concluded a wonderfully insightful, informative and intuitive conversation by highlighted the ‘uniqueness’ of GITEX Global, which is the Middle East’s flagship technology symposium.

Yazbeck lauded GITEX, describing it as the biggest technology conference in the world, and said its ability to educate attendees was powerful.

“GITEX has now become the world’s biggest technology event, but I believe the uniqueness of the event is the fact it brings stakeholders from the global technology community, global customers and local customers under the one roof to not only demonstrate new technology, but to actually educate each other on what’s new, what’s emerging and what’s coming next. When you see the calibre of speakers delivering keynote presentations, and participating in panel discussions, it almost serves as a full week of education and learning. It’s also great to meet customers from all over the region in a face-to-face capacity, the importance of that type of interaction can be difficult to quantify, but it is so important. It’s always an intense week, but it is always so rich and rewarding for all that attend and exhibit. The GITEX brand is unique, often copied, but never replicated, and I think this year’s event will be the biggest GITEX ever,” said Yazbeck.

Image Credit: Microsoft