The year 2025 has confirmed a fundamental shift in how economies compete. Across the Gulf, bold investments in AI and digital infrastructure have accelerated national transformation agendas. Yet, the most consequential disruption is not technological alone. It lies in how quickly jobs are evolving and how effectively people can keep pace.
Globally, the skills required for AI-exposed roles are evolving about 66 per cent faster than in less-exposed roles, according to the global audit firm PwC. This reality is reshaping long-held assumptions about productivity and competitiveness. Academic degrees, while still valuable, no longer guarantee relevance in a labour market where skills are constantly refreshed. The nations that will lead in the AI era are those where people can acquire new capabilities quickly, adapt instinctively and apply knowledge with confidence.
Evidence of this transformation can be seen in how people across the region are responding. In the UAE, GenAI enrolments on our online education platform Coursera grew 48 per cent year over year in 2025 – equivalent to one new enrolment every seven minutes. At the same time, around 13 per cent of the country’s workforce is actively developing new skills through online learning.
These signals suggest
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