The Race for Artificial Intelligence: Who Holds the Keys to the Future?

Data Centers - Artificial Intelligence

 The Race for Artificial Intelligence: Who Holds the Keys to the Future?

Global investments in artificial intelligence have accelerated at an unprecedented pace in recent years, transforming it from an emerging sector into a major component of the global digital economy.

Billions of Dollars Shape the New Economy

The figures reveal a "technological race" that transcends corporate boundaries and reshapes the international balance of power: $14 billion from Microsoft in OpenAI, $330 billion through Oracle, and $600 billion planned by Meta by 2028, in addition to joint ventures approaching half a trillion dollars between SoftBank, Oracle, and OpenAI. According to NVIDIA estimates, spending on AI infrastructure will exceed $4 trillion by 2030.

In this context, digital transformation and industrial applications consultant Alaa Eldin Ragab, during his interview with Sky News Arabia's "Business with Lobna," offered an in-depth insight into the economic, functional, and social transformations imposed by AI. He likened the current landscape to the First Industrial Revolution, when those who possessed steam technology controlled trade routes and colonization.

Technology as a Replacement for Geography and Politics

Ragab believes that these transformations are not merely an economic issue, but rather part of a political struggle for dominance and control over data. After decades of information accumulating through data centers that house virtually all of humanity's records, possessing this infrastructure, along with algorithms and applications, has become a new equivalent of international power and influence.

Changing Jobs: Between Disappearance and Rise

These developments do not necessarily mean the disappearance of entire industries, but rather their reshaping. The example of banking is vivid: banking services haven't disappeared, but they have moved to smartphones, while traditional branch employees have become specialists in cybersecurity and digital customer service. Rajab emphasizes that "disappearance" effectively means replacing traditional workers with new skills capable of handling artificial intelligence, creating huge opportunities in sectors such as:

* Smart factories based on automation and cyber systems.

* Healthcare through early diagnosis and medical image analysis.

* Logistics and autonomous transportation, such as Aramco's projects with Hyperview.

* Robotics and mechatronics in industrial and service sectors.

Skills Required for a New Generation

Rajab believes that Arab youth are facing a pivotal moment: either become part of this revolution or face the risk of marginalization. The most important skills he considers critical are:

* Data analysis and cybersecurity science.

* Deep learning and advanced programming.

* Mechatronics, as a bridge between software and hardware.

* Critical thinking and behavioral sciences to understand emotional AI.

The World Bank report (2025) estimated that 33 percent of jobs in developed countries are at risk of being replaced by robots and smart systems. This means that the Arab region, despite its relative delay in investment, may have a "golden opportunity" to retrain its workforce rather than lose it.

Artificial Intelligence and Global Security

Rajab also warned during his talk that artificial intelligence has now entered the arena of military conflict, altering the balance of global security. Wars that once required massive armies and massive equipment are now possible from behind a computer screen, through cyberattacks or low-cost drones. 

This shift lowers the threshold for the use of force and increases ambiguity in identifying the source of the threat, increasing the risk of escalation and miscalculation. In the absence of strict international rules, the gap between technological capabilities and legal and ethical responsibility is widening, highlighting new dilemmas regarding deterrence and stability. Civilians and infrastructure remain the weakest link in this uncontrolled race.