As the Middle East accelerates its digital transformation under ambitious national AI strategies like the UAE’s Vision 2031 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, DXC Technology plays a pivotal role in shaping the region’s AI journey. With a strong local presence in Dubai and Riyadh, DXC aligns its investments and expertise with government priorities to foster innovation, enhance industry operations, and address challenges such as the AI talent gap.
In this interview, Seelan Nayagam, president for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at DXC Technology, addresses how DXC supports governments and enterprises in responsibly adopting AI, transforming key sectors, building critical talent pipelines, and overcoming adoption hurdles—ensuring that AI delivers measurable and sustainable outcomes aligned with broader development goals.
How does DXC Technology support national AI strategies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
DXC actively supports national AI strategies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by aligning its local investments and capabilities with each country’s digital vision. In the UAE, our office in Dubai Internet City serves as a hub for collaboration with government and enterprise partners. Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, our office in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District directly supports Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s push for innovation and digital transformation.
Our teams work closely with public and private sector stakeholders to implement AI solutions that address national priorities – from advancing smart government services to enabling secure, data-driven infrastructure. Through local delivery, regional hiring, and solution co-development, we bring both global expertise and in-country insight to support national planning efforts. DXC’s role is to ensure that AI implementations are scalable, secure, and aligned with broader policy objectives – delivering measurable outcomes that advance long-term development strategies across the region.
What role does AI play in transforming key industries such as financial services and government in the Middle East?
AI is fundamentally reshaping how governments and financial institutions across the Middle East operate. In the public sector, AI is streamlining services and improving citizen engagement. For example, a government financial agency in the region used AI to reduce the turnaround time for grant approvals from 12 weeks to just one, significantly enhancing efficiency and responsiveness.
In financial services, AI is being used to automate complex tasks like risk assessment, fraud detection, and compliance monitoring – areas traditionally reliant on manual intervention. By applying intelligent automation and data analytics, banks can deliver faster, more secure, and personalized services to their customers. This not only boosts customer satisfaction and confidence but also drives operational agility.
DXC partners with institutions across both sectors to embed AI into critical workflows. Our approach combines industry-specific expertise with advanced technologies to help organizations transform legacy processes and adopt AI solutions responsibly and effectively. The result is improved decision-making, faster time-to-value, and a stronger foundation for innovation.
How can Middle Eastern nations address the AI talent gap to ensure sustainable growth?
Closing the AI talent gap is essential for the Middle East to fully unlock AI’s economic potential. At DXC, we believe in building sustainable talent pipelines through local recruitment, upskilling, and collaboration. In Saudi Arabia, we have established strategic collaborations through MOUs with leading universities and organizations, including Taibah Valley, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport to build and enhance skills development programs. Furthermore, by onboarding new graduates into technical roles, we are actively contributing to Saudization goals and fostering long term economic growth. Similarly, our expanded presence in the UAE includes investment in Emiratization and mentoring initiatives.
Globally, DXC has practitioner-led AI practices to scale technical expertise across industries. These internal programs provide continuous training in AI, cloud, and data analytics, which can be extended to local teams to accelerate skill development in the region. Across the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa regions, DXC Technology has over 10,000 AWS skilled resources and has trained over 15,000 employees through our AI Academy and AI-Xcelerate programs.
Beyond training, we support ecosystem development by working alongside academic institutions, governments, and industry to create opportunities for knowledge sharing and innovation. Our partnerships with Saut: The Voice of Down Syndrome and the Charitable Foundation for Saudi Orphan Care EXHAE among other organizations help to foster inclusive access to education, mentorship, and hands-on experience. These actions and initiatives can support the region to build a resilient AI workforce capable of meeting current and future demand. DXC’s role is to help facilitate that ecosystem and provide real-world experience through high-impact projects.
Read more: Saudi Arabia climbs to 14th spot in Global AI Index, first among Arab nations
How does DXC help enterprises in the region ‘think big but start small’ when adopting AI?
DXC encourages a focused and practical approach to AI adoption – helping enterprises in the Middle East “think big but start small”. Rather than launching large-scale programs with high risk and uncertain returns, we guide clients to begin with specific, high-impact use cases that solve real business problems.
Through tailored workshops and hands-on consultation, our teams help define clear goals, assess digital readiness, and identify areas where AI can deliver measurable value quickly. These pilot projects serve as a foundation to build internal AI capabilities and demonstrate success before scaling further.
For example, a financial client may start by automating a customer onboarding workflow or fraud detection process. Once outcomes are proven, that AI application can be expanded across multiple business units. This iterative approach reduces complexity, accelerates time-to-value, and builds internal confidence.
Our method balances ambition with pragmatism – ensuring AI is not just adopted, but embedded in a way that supports long-term transformation. By scaling responsibly, enterprises can maximise return on investment and minimise disruption.
What are the common challenges enterprises face when adopting AI, and how can they overcome them?
AI adoption in the region often faces three major hurdles: lack of governance, unrealistic expectations, and legacy infrastructure. One growing concern is “shadow AI” – the uncoordinated use of AI tools without oversight, which can expose organizations to risks around data privacy, ethics, and compliance. DXC helps clients mitigate this by establishing AI governance frameworks and clear oversight structures, ensuring AI initiatives align with business strategy and regulatory standards.
Another challenge is overcommitting too early. Organizations may pursue ambitious AI programs without first validating feasibility or value. As mentioned earlier, we believe the best way to overcome this challenge is to adopt a “start small” approach – beginning with defined pilot projects that address immediate needs and deliver fast, tangible results.
We also address the challenge of integrating AI into existing infrastructure. Outdated systems and siloed data can hinder effective AI adoption. DXC’s experience in modernizing data architectures and migrating to cloud platforms enables AI solutions to scale securely and efficiently.
Through our proven methodology and strong regional delivery capabilities, we help clients overcome these obstacles and realise the full value of AI – responsibly, sustainably, and at pace with business needs.