Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force reshaping businesses worldwide, with the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa (META) region at the forefront of this technological revolution.

Indeed, the latest forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC) shows AI spending in the META region soaring at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37%, with investments set to reach a staggering $7.2 billion in 2026.

“With the rapid advancements in AI and generative AI (GenAI), we are now at the beginning of the ‘AI Everywhere’ era, where AI capability is widening, driving rapid and more widespread adoption,” says Ranjit Rajan, IDC’s vice president of research for the META region. “The UAE is making significant investments in infrastructure and skills, promoting AI adoption, developing supporting guardrails, and fostering an indigenous AI ecosystem to raise its global AI competitiveness. As UAE organizations across industries begin to accelerate their AI-led digitalization journeys, they are looking to identify use cases with the greatest ROI, develop AI governance frameworks, build a data foundation, and develop new skills that can help them to capitalize on the AI moment.”

In a new episode of Decoded, CNN’s Anna Stewart explores the smart, connected devices that make up the Internet of Things (IoT). From ordinary household items to complicated industrial systems, smart devices are changing the way we live.

Stewart visits the Expo 2020 site in Dubai to see how smart cities are using IoT to enable more informed city planning. Helmut Von Struve, CEO of Siemens Middle East gives an example, “Artificial intelligence can say within 20 minutes, 30 minutes, there would be maybe 150 people walking in this direction. So, you can already start cooling the building down.”

IoT devices are also being used to combat climate change. In Boston, a connected forest is helping scientists study how much carbon dioxide trees take out of the atmosphere. Jackie Hatala Matthes, Senior Scientist at the Harvard Forest describes the project, “With IoT, we’re able to get really high-resolution data, high temporal resolution data, and we’re able to look at those changes in real time, which helps to feed into other global models of climate change.” One of the trees even uses IoT to tweet the data and communicate in real time what the tree is experiencing.

In Shenzhen, known as the Silicon Valley of hardware, the programme meets German entrepreneur Florian Simmendinger who has developed a modern twist on a metronome. He explains that although it’s possible to create smart devices for many tasks now, the best ones are those that fulfil a need, “If you find something meaningful that actually improves the product experience, then you know you have a real winner on your hands when it comes to an IoT product. There’s definitely a case in the IoT space of just because you can connect something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.”

At the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, Stewart meets Ibrahim Al Najjar, Vice President IT, at DP World who demonstrates how a network of connected sensors, devices, and software all communicate to operate the smart port.

Stewart also meets the man who created the term ‘Internet of Things’. In the late 1990s, Kevin Ashton was searching for a name for his presentation on supply chain logistics, “At that time the internet was such a big buzzword. I needed to shoehorn the word internet in to like get any attention at all. and here we are now. Still talking about it. That’s the biggest surprise.”

Ashton describes what makes a good IoT device, “The thing that I look for to make it the Internet of Things is it knows something about the world without a human being telling it. I don’t really think about these voice assistants people have in their kitchen where you say you know, Alexa, add this to my shopping list. Well, in my world, Alexa would know that you needed to add it to the shopping list, it wouldn’t need you to tell it.”

The idea that everything we touch, every we move we make, can be monitored and uploaded to the cloud may seem convenient and efficient, but for some it raises concerns about regulation and trust. Stewart speaks to professional hacker Ken Munro, CEO of Pen Test Partners. He demonstrates how easy it is to hack IoT devices like a children’s doll with speech recognition and warns, “As we know, legislation often trails innovation. So I think it’s really important that we bring in some regulation to help manufacturers prioritise cybersecurity and also help protect us consumers from manufacturers who may be a bit fast and loose with security.”

• Holds webinar July 12 on AFCFTA

Mr. Ope Babalola, Managing Director, Webb Fontaine Nigeria, says the global trade facilitation company will open world-class AI Research and Development (R&D) Centres in Africa to create efficiency in trade.

Webb Fontaine is a leading provider of solutions for trade facilitation, powered by world-class technology including artificial intelligence. It develops new-generation IT systems that take trade and customs processes to the next level for the benefit of the global trading community.

Mr. Babalola says the R&D Centres will not only benefit Web Fontaine’s work, it will also lead to a surge in demand for highly skilled staff and the hiring of as many programmers from Africa as possible. “We want Africa to have at least one or two world class Research and Development Centres. We will train them, work with them and help them to develop the Customs industry across the entire continent, especially in regions covered the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“We would like the first of these centres to be in Nigeria. One can imagine the job opportunities and the exposure it would create and we think Nigeria is the best place for this to happen,” he says.

Webb Fontaine has been working with the Nigerian Government and Nigerian Customs Service since 2006 when it implemented Asycuda​++, eventually developing a system called NICIS II and the current Single Window digital platform to enhance Customs services.

The company last month was awarded a 10-year contract by the Government of Niger Republic to implement and manage the new Niger National Single Window project (NNSW), including the roll out of a state-of-the-art Port Community System created specifically for the landlocked West African nation.

Meanwhile, Webb Fontaine, one of the leading providers of Customs and trade solutions to governments worldwide, will gather a panel of industry mavens to talk about ‘Technology and Trade in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities’ in a webinar series on July 12 at 1200 CET.

The panel discussion will explore revolutionary thinking and innovative insights on International trade in Africa, the impact of African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) agreement and the collaborative role of African nations in achieving economic integration as a continent.

The webinar, aimed at both private and public sector professionals, with its overarching theme of trade and technology in Africa, will further explore the implications of geopolitical developments, establishment of free trade zones and its cumulative impact on the continent’s trade policies. With the global COVID-19 pandemic being a major economy disruptor, the discussion will also touch upon the consequences of such turbulences in the African supply chain.