Joint summit tackled the operational hurdles of moving from AI pilot projects to governed, autonomous scale
Dubai, UAE – September, 2026 – As Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly transitions from a boardroom aspiration to essential business infrastructure, the true challenge for the Middle East’s leading organizations lies not in launching AI pilots, but in scaling them securely and profitably. Addressing this pivotal industry shift, Gulf Business Machines (GBM), IBM and IDC partnered to host an exclusive executive conference titled “The Agentic Enterprise: Closing the Gap Between AI Ambition and AI Operations,” which took place at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam, Dubai.
According to recent forecasts by IDC, AI spending in the UAE is projected to reach an unprecedented USD 5.78 billion by 2029. While the UAE is moving exceptionally fast in its AI adoption, the conference brought together senior technology leaders from across the UAE to explore what it takes to capture these opportunities and run AI at scale, spanning systems, automation, and agentic AI.
Experts addressed the realities of enterprise-scale AI across four core pillars, with discussions on contrasting AI-ready infrastructure with legacy systems, exploring how intelligent automation eliminates deployment friction, and tackling the transition of Agentic AI from pilot to production.
The event featured engaging, expert-led speaker sessions, which included prominent leadership voices from all three organizing partners. Dr. Feras Al Jabi, General Manager, Technology at GBM; Shukri Eid, VP & General Manager – Gulf, Levant and Pakistan, IBM Gulf; and Melih Murat, Associate Research Director, Artificial Intelligence (META), IDC, shared critical insights on the subject.
As regional enterprises seek to transition from experimental AI tools to autonomous systems capable of executing complex workflows, secure and sovereign local infrastructure remains critical. Additionally, attendees experienced an exclusive demonstration of advanced IBM units recently purchased by GBM, highlighting GBM’s strategic commitment to building a resilient, compliant and sovereign regional AI ecosystem.
Dr. Feras Al Jabi, General Manager, Technology, GBM, said, “For the region’s enterprises to innovate, they need more than raw compute power alone; secure, localized infrastructure that respects regional compliance and business culture is vital. ‘The Agentic Enterprise’ represents our vision of a future where AI does not just support decision-making but also acts as a driver of organizational growth in a safe and seamless ecosystem.”
About Gulf Business Machines GBM:
For more than 36 years, Gulf Business Machines (GBM) has been the region’s technology trusted partner. With 7 offices and over 1,500 professionals across the Gulf, GBM offers the region’s most comprehensive portfolio spanning digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity, digital business solutions, and managed services.
GBM combines deep local expertise with global technology leadership, partnering with companies such as IBM (as sole distributor in the GCC, excluding Saudi Arabia and selected IBM products and services), Cisco (Gold Partner), and VMware by Broadcom (Pinnacle Solutions Provider). This unique ecosystem, together with GBM’s skilled workforce, enables the delivery of secure, scalable, and customer-centric solutions that address the region’s most complex business challenges.
