Bahrain launches MEET ICT & BITEX 2025 with bold AI push

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Under the patronage of H.E. Dr Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Bahrain inaugurated MEET ICT & BITEX 2025, a landmark gathering of industry leaders, innovators and global technology specialists held under the theme “Innovation, Transform, Elevate: AI for the New Economy.”

The opening ceremony brought together a wide roster of corporate and technology figures, setting a forward-looking tone for the Kingdom’s digital ambitions and its positioning within the regional AI ecosystem.

Driver

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Tribune, Ahmed Al Hujairy, CEO of ThinkSmart Gulf, confirmed that artificial intelligence has become the primary driver of workforce development across the Gulf.

He explained that ThinkSmart, founded over 22 years ago in Bahrain, originally set out to promote technology skills and was among the first in the region to introduce cybersecurity training.

Al Hujairy noted that the company now provides executive, end-user and IT professional training across the Gulf, with Bahrain serving as a central hub for GCC-wide operations.

He also revealed that ThinkSmart has expanded into Africa with a new operational node in Morocco, offering programmes through both classroom and online formats.

He stressed that AI represents the strongest and fastest-growing demand, supported by partnerships with leading global AI companies that allow the firm to deploy specialised training across the region.

Organisations, he said, are no longer questioning whether they should adopt AI, but rather how quickly they can implement it at scale.

Artificial intelligence

During the event, Mr Tamer Aly, Leader of Data and AI at Gulf Business Machines (GBM), outlined the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, detailing how organisations progress from the exploration stage to full-scale transformation.

He mapped out the spectrum of AI capabilities, ranging from generative intelligence and predictive modelling to conversational assistants and agentic AI systems capable of undertaking complex tasks.

Aly explained that organisations typically move through several maturity phases, beginning with awareness and exploration before passing into operational deployment, enterprise integration and ultimately transformation.

He underlined that true transformation occurs only when AI becomes embedded across organisational structures, operating models and decision-making processes.