AAU 7. 15: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation in the Gulf Countries

On Tuesday, May 12, the fifteenth lecture in the Aula Árabe Universitaria 7 series will be presented by Sara Bazoobandi, a visiting researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute (Washington). It will be streamed live on YouTube (in Spanish and English). Come to the final session of the 2025/26 academic year and get your passport stamped! Here is the link to the registration form for students in the Aula Árabe Universitaria program: https://forms.gle/bNeezN8w5j5gSRZX9 Only registrations submitted during the live broadcast will be counted. Sara Bazoobandi’s lecture—she is an economic analyst specializing in the Gulf and Iran—will examine the development of artificial intelligence in Gulf countries, highlighting how these economies are driving their digital transformation as part of their strategies for modernization and economic diversification. By examining key initiatives and geopolitical shifts—including agreements with the U.S. on chip imports—the presentation will offer a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges posed by the adoption of these technologies. Bazoobandi will analyze the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and examine how nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to diversify their economies and reduce their dependence on oil. The inclusion of this technology in flagship national strategies (such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the United Arab Emirates’ National AI Strategy 2031) is transforming sectors such as healthcare, finance, smart cities, and public services. The discussion will also explore the recent geopolitical dimensions of AI development in the Gulf, particularly the Trump administration’s AI agreements with Gulf states and the significant shift in U.S. chip export policy that they represent. Trump’s repeal of the Biden-era “AI Dissemination Rule,” which had restricted exports of advanced chips to the region, has paved the way for landmark agreements with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, marking a decisive shift from an approach that had imposed significant conditions on the construction of data centers in the Gulf. Bazoobandi will also address the broader opportunities and challenges facing the region, ranging from creating channels to attract local talent and fostering innovation ecosystems, to addressing the ethical considerations arising around data governance, algorithmic accountability, and the complex security dynamics introduced by these new alliances. Organized in collaboration with the Master’s Program in Continuing Education in Economic and Geopolitical Intelligence at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Master’s Program in Political Science: Political Analysis, Public Policy, and International Politics at the National Distance Education University (UNED), and Aula Mediterrània (IEMed). Representing the first institution, the speaker, Nuria Rodríguez Priego, professor of Economic Analysis: Theory and History I at the UAM, will be introduced, and Beatriz Tomé Alonso, professor of International Relations at the UNED, will offer an initial commentary/response to the lecture on behalf of the second institution. The session will be moderated by Olivia Orozco de la Torre, coordinator of Training and Economics at Casa Árabe. Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/eventos-arabe...