HR Tech MENA 2026 pushes AI in HR from idea to execution

The 12th Annual HR Tech MENA Summit in Dubai drew 400 HR and tech leaders from across the GCC for two days focused on AI adoption, human judgment and measurable execution. The event closed with a hackathon and set up the 13th summit for 2027 as regional demand for applied HR AI grows.

Why it matters: - HR leaders in the GCC are moving past AI hype and into implementation. - The summit showed how HR teams are trying to use AI for scale, speed and reporting without removing human judgment from hiring, culture and leadership decisions. - The event also highlighted a broader shift: HR and IT are increasingly being treated as co-owners of workforce transformation.

What happened: - The 12th Annual HR Tech MENA Summit took place over two days at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. - The summit theme was “The Era of Execution: Where AI Gets Human.” - About 400 HR and tech leaders from the GCC attended. - The event moved from big-picture AI discussion into practical talks on execution, governance and adoption.

The details: - Arthur Carmazzi opened the summit with a keynote on leading change in an AI-driven workplace. - Carmazzi said technology moves at machine speed while people move at human speed, and culture remains the most sustainable advantage in an automated world. - Walid Tayel, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Elsewedy Electric, said naming workforce change directly builds trust. - Elsewedy Electric is running three AI-related efforts at once: an AI-powered HR program with more than 30 live use cases, a company-wide efficiency drive and an AI upskilling effort for employees that has run since 2024. - Mustafa Jama, former Chief Human Resources Officer at Ghassan Aboud Holding, said AI adds the most value in execution, screening and shortlist work at scale. - Jama said final judgment on culture fit and critical hires should stay human. - Jama also said his team reduced reporting from dozens of metrics to three: talent density, critical-role pipeline strength and flight risk among key performers. - Jama said that metric discipline once gave his organization six months’ notice before a large share of mid-level operations leadership was at risk of leaving. - Dr. Jassim Al Awadhi, Executive Director and Head of Enterprise Platforms at Emirates NBD, said HR and IT should move from a customer-provider model to co-architects of the future of work. - Day two focused on the human side of AI, including talent, trust across borders, performance management, the psychology of adoption and AI governance. - The summit closed with a hackathon that put HR and technology leaders in the same room to build and pitch live solutions. - Marie-Louise Ek, Vice President HR Middle East & Africa at Hilton, said the summit delivered a high level of execution and strong dialogue. - Samar Samy, Regional HR Partner at Gulf Cryo, said the event connected her team with the right partners as the company transforms how it works. - Karim Helbawi, Enterprise Account Executive at Remote, said the company used the summit to meet customers, meet prospects and track market changes. - Kareem Salim, Head of Marketing at Coursera, said this was the fifth edition of the partnership and called HR Tech one of the flagship events in the MEA region. - Karam El Assal, Senior Account Executive at Odoo, said the summit delivered more connections than expected across the UAE and GCC.

Between the lines: - The summit’s strongest message was not that AI is coming to HR, but that HR teams already need playbooks for using it responsibly. - The repeated focus on culture, trust and human judgment suggests regional leaders are worried as much about adoption and credibility as they are about automation. - The hackathon format signals a preference for visible output over panel-only discussions.

What's next: - The 13th Annual HR Tech MENA is already drawing interest and is set to return in 2027. - Organizers are positioning the next edition as a continuation of the move from theory to execution. - Sidh NC, Director at QnA International, said the summit has evolved over the past decade from a gathering into a movement.