How AI is finding its way into regional academia
Artificial intelligence has seized popular imagination like no technology in recent memory. From smart translators and virtual assistants to content generations tools and chatbots – AI in its varying forms and applications has taken centre stage. Countries and institutions are scrambling to secure the required infrastructure and the paraphernalia to capitalize on the technology and its apparent benefits.
While AI and other frontier technologies are seeking to redefine the rules of value, this presents a real-world challenge: an asymmetry between the present education system and the tech labour market.
AI will affect almost 40 percent of jobs around the world, according to the International Monetary Fund. This calls for a revisit of the current academic structure, in a manner consistent with the scale of transformation expected in the years ahead. Countries across the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc seem to be doing just that.
The UAE has mandated AI education to be integrated into the public-school curriculum, for children as young as kindergarten pupils up to teenagers in Grade 12. The AI curriculum will cover foundational concepts, data and algorithms, ethical awareness, real-world applications, innovation and project design, among others.
“Mandating AI learning in schools can play a significant role in preparing students for a future where AI-related skills are expected to be in high demand,” Hameed Noor Mohamed, managing director, Alpen Capital tells Salaam Gateway.
“Beyond providing foundational knowledge of a critical technology, it also helps develop essential competencies such as analytical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy.”
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia has also launched an AI high school course, targeting over 50,000 12th-grade students in its initial phase. One-fifth of internet users in the kingdom actively use various AI apps, with youth between the ages of 20 and 29 most engaged with these tools, the Saudi Internet 2024 report revealed.
Qatar is prioritizing AI integration in the education sector with the curricula being updated with AI foundations. Bahrain, too, has plans to expand the scope of AI teaching, as detailed in the ministry’s education strategy for 2023–2026.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is reaching the Gulf’s shores,” Alex Rattray, managing director – Middle East at North Highland, writes in a LinkedIn post.
“All these forces – youth demographics, women’s empowerment, diversification, digitisation, and decarbonisation – converge into one reality: the jobs of the future GCC will require vastly different skills. A knowledge economy cannot thrive on yesterday’s skillsets.”
AI is expected to contribute $320 billion to the Middle East by 2030, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE billed as the biggest beneficiaries, according to PwC. AI is expected to contribute over $135.2 billion to the Saudi economy in 2030 - equivalent to 12.4% of its GDP. In relative terms, the UAE is expected to see the largest impact of close to 14% of 2030 GDP.
“As GCC countries invest in AI technology, there is a need for a generation of skilled technicians to drive the industry in the region. School is the time for learning about technology, its uses and applications, its risks and challenges, but it is also a time to learn how to interact with the AI tools available to students in a way that benefits their learning and their future readiness,” Roland Hancock, Education and Skills Lead, Partner at PwC Middle East tells Salaam Gateway.
“AI skills development needs to go further if the GCC is to make the most of its investment. Modular, practical and constantly evolving training is required to give future AI engineers the skills to be able to drive the sector. This will come at university and college level, as well as in lifelong learning.”
Overcoming challenges
Akin to all new developments and technologies, AI, especially in the world of academia, comes with its own set of obstacles. The biggest challenge facing schools, cautions Hancock, is keeping pace.
“AI is advancing so rapidly that developing and maintaining relevant educational content and training can be a moving target for schools and educators. Across the world, institutions are grappling with how to design AI programmes that stay current and accessible. The GCC is no exception.”
Sustained investment in teacher training, curriculum innovation, and public-private partnerships (PPPs), Hancock states, will be critical to ensuring educators are equipped to deliver AI education that is timely, relevant, and impactful.
According to Alpen Capital’s Mohamed, one of the primary challenges in imparting AI education is the investment required to build the necessary infrastructure and digital ecosystem.
“The availability of reliable technology providers to upgrade existing systems and deliver effective staff training adds another layer of complexity to the cost of implementation.”
“The GCC education sector already faces a shortage of skilled teachers. Finding tech-savvy educators who are comfortable with AI-driven tools and capable of integrating them meaningfully into the curriculum, presents an additional hurdle.”
