Authenticity is key to creating memorable experiences

Artificial Intelligence as used in Middle East

A recent LinkedIn posting by Samar Karam

I thought I knew the strategy well enough. Working daily with culture, communication, and expats in the Arab world, I assumed that most AI platforms were more or less smart and equally helpful, interchangeable. I thought that I did my homework!
I was wrong.
If you work, live, visit, or lead in the Arab world, and you still think AI tools are culturally neutral, it’s time to think again. Or let me help with this article.

Why Cultural Intelligence Matters More Than “Smart AI” in the UAE?

In my work with expats, leaders, and relocating families in the UAE, I have learned one simple truth:

Communication fails here, not because people lack talent, but because cultural signals are missed.

That is why I paid close attention, perhaps later than I should have as a professional, to what kind of leadership AI is offering in my Arab world. When the UAE’s Office for Artificial Intelligence introduced the AI in the Ring Index, I did not initially pause to see it for what it truly was: not a technology ranking, but a reflection of cultural intelligence. At the time, I treated most AI platforms as a new tool with a strategy and maybe a threat.

Only recently through patience, research, careful observation, and conversations with trusted peers working in cultural intelligence—did my perspective sharpen. It became clear that not all AI systems lead to equal results when it comes to culture in the Arab world, and that distinction matters deeply in real professional and human contexts.

A Different Kind of Benchmark—and Why It Matters

Unlike typical AI benchmarks that focus on IQ-style problem solving or coding ability, the AI in the Ring Index asked a far more relevant question for life and work in the UAE: an an AI understand Emirati identity, values, and social reality well enough to communicate without causing friction?

To explore this, more than 400 culturally focused questions were designed, generating around 5,200 responses from 11 leading AI models. Model names were deliberately hidden so Emirati evaluators could assess the responses without brand bias—a practice very familiar to those of us who work in cultural assessment.

What Was Actually Measured (And Why Expats Should Care)

Emirati cultural experts evaluated the AI responses across seven deeply human dimensions:

• Historical and national context
• Creative and poetic expression
• Emirati Arabic and dialect use
• Cultural symbols and shared meanings
• Social norms and etiquette
• Social and religious sensitivity
• Emirati values and ethics

In addition, a custom red-teaming approach pushed models into awkward, sensitive, or ambiguous cultural situations, the very moments where expats and organizations tend to struggle most. Outputs were monitored for bias, misunderstanding, overconfidence, or subtle disrespect. As a cultural trainer, I recognized this immediately: this is exactly how cultural competence is tested in real life.

Why This Matters for Expat Professionals and HR Leaders

For expats working in the UAE, especially in HR, leadership, relocation, and people-facing roles, cultural accuracy matters more than creativity or speed.

When drafting:

• Arabic-facing emails
• Ramadan or national occasion messages
• Policy explanations
• Leadership communication

The cost of language that is “almost right” can be high.

This is where Gemini emerges as a reliable reference point—not because it is perfect, but because it has been explicitly tested against Emirati cultural expectations. For many expats, Gemini functions best as a cultural calibration tool: “Is this how this would land locally?”

Why Emiratis Working With Expats Can Use ChatGPT Effectively

On the other hand, Emiratis and culturally fluent professionals working with expats often need something different:

• Explanation
• Reframing
• Creative translation between worlds
• Strategy and structure, often in English

Here, ChatGPT becomes extremely effective because cultural fluency already exists on the human side. The AI supports thinking and articulation it does not replace cultural judgment.

This distinction matters.

Gemini vs. ChatGPT in the Arab World: A Practical View

A clear pattern is emerging across the region: Gemini is becoming the stronger choice for Arabic-heavy and Google-centric workflows, while ChatGPT remains ahead in ecosystem breadth, integrations, and certain creative tasks

For HR, relocation, and leadership teams, this distinction matters far more than raw technical capability.

Arabic Language Quality: Breadth vs. Precision

Gemini

• Supports 16+ Arabic dialects, including Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian, and Maghrebi
• Produces Arabic that feels less translated and more native, particularly in Gulf contexts
• Handles mixed dialect and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) more naturally in day-to-day writing

ChatGPT

• Has improved significantly in Arabic and Arabic–English mixed text
• Still tends to default to more formal MSA
• Can sound slightly off in Gulf tone, hierarchy, or social pacing

In practice: For everyday Arabic writing emails, HR announcements, internal communications Gemini often sounds closer to how people actually write and speak in the Gulf. ChatGPT remains strong but may require more cultural editing.

Cultural Fit: UAE vs. the Wider Arab World

Gemini aligns particularly well with Emirati and Gulf cultural norms, especially around:

• Business etiquette
• Religion-adjacent topics
• Formality and restraint
• Professional hierarchy

This makes it especially suitable for:

• UAE-based organizations
• Government-adjacent or semi-formal environments
• Public-facing corporate communication

However, neither model fully captures the diversity of the wider Arab world. Beyond the UAE—into Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Levant, or North Africa dialect carries deeper social meaning, and “neutral Arabic” can feel emotionally distant.

In these contexts, human cultural review is essential, regardless of the AI used.

Availability and Integration in the Region

Gemini

• Fully available in Arabic via Gemini and Gemini Advanced
• Deeply integrated into Google Search, Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Maps
• Especially practical for organizations already using Google Workspace across MENA

ChatGPT

• Fully available across the UAE and GCC
• Strong integration with Microsoft 365, Azure, and enterprise systems
• Widely adopted across institutions and large organizations

Operational reality: Most organizations choose AI not only for language quality—but for where the tool already lives.

Where Each Tool Tends to Win

Gemini excels at:

• Day-to-day Arabic writing and editing
• Multi-dialect handling in Gulf contexts
• Culturally aware Arabic search and chat
• Seamless use inside Google tools common in MENA

ChatGPT excels at:

• Broader third-party integrations
• Microsoft-centric environments
• Creative and strategic tasks (code, ideation, experimentation)
• English-first work with occasional Arabic support

The Strategic Insight Most Teams Miss

AI does not fail in the Arab world because it lacks intelligence. It fails when organizations confuse linguistic correctness with cultural belonging.

Used thoughtfully, AI can:

• Support clarity
• Reduce friction
• Accelerate communication

Used carelessly, it can:

• Flatten nuance
• Miss hierarchy
• Undermine trust

In my humble opinion, the responsibility for cultural intelligence still sits with humans. That is the lens through which this conversation should continue.

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates are experts in AI and love it.

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity , Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd from content from Samar Karam