In a recent interview, Meads said that we are going to see two children of companies emerge: those who immerse themselves in the AI and adopt it with innovation and agility, and those who struggle to stay relevant.
Meads also pointed out the tremendous economic potential of AI in the region, citing studies that the AI project could contribute to $ 135 billion to the economy of Saudi Arabia by 2030 and almost 14 percent of the UAES GDP.
Q: How do you see the transforming industries in the next 5-10 years?
TO: It is already happening. A hospital in the United Kingdom recently used AI to scan and prioritize in 300,000 moors of patient patients of patients, the first signs of cancer faster than human equipment could.
That is not a future look. That is now. And that’s just an example. In all industries, from finance to logistics, AI is remodeling how things are done.
I am seeing three big shifts:
- First, Companies are rethinking how they operateFrom the end at the end, and they turn to us to ensure that their infrastructure is safe, scalable and ready for the AI.
- Second, Customers are hungry for real use cases. Things like predictive maintenance, automated incorporation, coding assisted by AI-Ai-Estufa that drives the results today.
- And third, Ai is changing the way the equipment operates. It is cutting repetitive tasks so that people can concentrate on what really matters.
But what excites me must be AI AGENT – Tools that are not based on static rules or data, and do not expect instructions. They learn and act on their own. Without being asked.
Imagine a customer service AI that predicts the user’s needs before a query is made, or a network administration that identifies possible problems and solves them autonomous, ensuring an uninterrupted service. That’s where we head, and it comes fast.
Q: How can AI contribute to improve workforce and support economic growth?
TO: You may wait for a bit of contradiction here. I just said that AI could handle customer service before a person only intervened … So where does that leave people? One of the greatest erroneous concepts about AI is that it is here to replace people. The truth is that the biggest opportunity lies in helping people do more, and doing better.
As IA assumes more tasks, especially the predictable and repetitive, the value of human skills increases, not depressed. The real opportunity now is to help people change the march: from doing homework to training, managing and collaborating with AI.
We are already seeing that companies use AI to support that change, with personalized learning programs, intelligent training tools and systems that release the time for people to focus on the most value. In fact, the conformity with the report of the future of Jobs of the World Economic Forum 2025, by 2030, 77% of employers plan to prioritize the response and creation of their employees so that they can work effective together with AI systems.
And this issue at the national level as well. In the Middle East, for example, IA is expected to contribute more than $ 135 billion to the Saudi Arabia economy by 2030, and almost 14% of the EAU GDP.
But that growth not only comes from technology, but comes from people who have the right skills to unlock their potential. So yes, AI might be treading. But he is also treading above The importance of human capacity, and the companies that invest in both will lead the future.
Q: What is crucial for organizations in the region to take advantage of AI technology and have a successful roadmap?
TO: I mentioned that calm is a key element in the success of AI Journeys … but there is much more for companies to do today.
Recently we have conducted an interesting survey with around 8,000 business leaders around the world, and that includes the Eau’s response. The results really show a strong commitment to adopt AI.
In fact, a solid 64% of organizations in the EAU have established clear strategies to implement IA solutions. And almost half of these companies are ready to invest from 10% to 30% of their IT budgets specifically in their AI initiatives.
That is impressive, right? But here is the turning point: while 99% of companies in the EAU feel a pressing need to climb AI technologies, according to the Cisco AI preparation index, only 7% real has the infrastructure to lead the way.
This highlights a great gap between the enormous potential of AI and the real steps that companies must take to get there.
When we dig a little more to find out what thesis organizations retains, we find three main concerns:
- Infrastructure and Expertise: Many companies are not completely safe if they have adequate infrastructure or technical knowledge to develop it effective.
- Safety and safety: There are tons of ideas that float within thesis organizations, but of those who stagnate due to concerns about security and security concerns.
- Skills development: There is a general feeling that internal training and skills development are not up to date to take advantage of the power of AI yet.
In all these areas, Cisco can intervene and make a real difference. We can help organizations address these problems and unlock the tremendous opportunities that AI has to sacrifice. It’s about closing that gap and converting the potential of AI actually!
Q: What role does talent development play to take advantage of the full potential of AI and how should companies address this in our region?
TO: Now, it is becoming clear that without the correct talent, AIS’s fixed possibilities could continue to be just that potential. To really take advantage of the transforming power of AI, organizations need professionals who can not only administer these technologies, but also innovate new solutions and real use cases that promote progress.
Magic occurs when AI’s abilities meet human experience, creating a synergy that provides real value.
The World Economic Forum predicts a great change in the labor market, with almost 39% of the essential skills that will change for 2030. This highlights the urgent need to improve our strength to meet future demands. To prosper in a world driven by AI, we must equip Ourelves and our teams with the skills that will have a great demand.
In our region, governments are moving significantly with AI strategies as part of their long -term visions. Many countries have already started projects focused on the learning and development of AI, with the aim of attracting and nourishing the best talent.
In Cisco, we believe in the power of the association. We are committed to equipping professionals with the skills they need to advance their careers and close the skills gap. One way we do is through the Cisco Networking Academy, one of the longest programs that connect IT skills with real job opportunities.
We work hand in hand with educational institutions throughout the region to empower students, helping to build a workforce ready for the future. Since we launched the network academy, we have trained more than 4.4 million students in essential skills of IT, networks and security, preparing them to address tomorrow’s challenges.
Q: How will progress in AI affect the broader technological ecosystem and what collaboration efforts are necessary to maximize its benefits?
TO: The AI is shaking things in the market in a way that we could not have imagined only ten years ago, and is opening some very exciting opportunities.
I really believe that we are going to see that two types of companies arise: those that immerse themselves in the head in AI and adopt it with innovation and agility, and those who struggle to stay relevant. Honestly, this could be the most significant transformation we have experienced in our lives from the perspective of a platform.
Here in Cisco, we are all to support Revolution AI. We are committed to providing the infrastructure that will boost a massive network of AI agents that communicate between data centers, as well as physical applications such as robotics and humanoid technology.
Imagine this: as digital workers become more frequent, the processing capacity of our world of 8 billion people might seem to expand to 80 billion! This connectivity explosion will increase the demand for high -performance networks solutions, low latency and energy efficiency.
While we look forward, there are five areas that we must address: networks, security, security, data and AI models. Cisco is focusing on all this, and we are also forging strategic associations, such as our collaboration with Nvidia, which now presents Cisco in its reference architecture.
After having been fundamental in the construction of the Internet in the last four decades, we are now sitting the foundations for AI. We really believe that a robust network is essential for AIS’s success, and plays a crucial role in improving security, because when it is connected, it is protected.
