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He outlines three essential traits for modern leaders navigating AI transformation: empathy, inclusivity and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too often, the lack of these qualities results in internal pushbacks. Employees fear being replaced. Managers fear becoming obsolete. And without reassurance, resistance builds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe internal resistance can be caused by fear of redundancy,\u201d he said. \u201cLeaders should highlight the role of AI as a tool that supplements rather than replaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
True transformation, Khalili argues, happens when teams feel included, not just informed, in the AI journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While executive teams often lead digital discussions, Khalili says it is the boardroom that ultimately determines whether projects scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When boards treat AI as an isolated tech trend rather than a governance issue, efforts remain small and fragmented. Projects never reach maturity. Pilots do not scale. And even worse, companies lose ground to faster, bolder competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFailure to engage the board may turn efforts into a series of pilots that can\u2019t scale,\u201d Khalili warned. \u201cBoards must mandate AI literacy not only by the tech team but across the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says boards should see themselves not just as gatekeepers of compliance, but as stewards of innovation. If they aren\u2019t pushing AI forward, they\u2019re holding the company back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many companies hesitate to scale AI because they don\u2019t see immediate return on investment. But Khalili says this mindset is outdated, especially when measuring transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his view, success should be measured by a broader set of indicators: adoption rates, decision-making speed, employee engagement, accuracy improvement, and time saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These \u201cearly indicators\u201d are often more useful in determining whether a system is working than short-term financial returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA better view is provided by a balanced scorecard approach,\u201d he said. \u201cThe leadership must consider AI as infrastructure that, when prudent investments are made, the returns will be progressive and not immediate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Khalili believes these metrics must become part of every boardroom dashboard, not just tucked away in IT updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the hesitation in some sectors, Khalili says Saudi Arabia is better positioned than most to break through boardroom fear \u2014 and lead globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to Vision 2030, the country has already made AI a strategic priority. Investments in talent, regulation, and digital infrastructure are giving both public and private sectors a strong foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And unlike in other regions, where policy often lags behind innovation, Khalili sees the opposite happening in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTop-down commitment among Saudi Arabia leadership is a unique advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cVision 2030 and the cultural shift it promotes will help overcome barriers faster than in other regions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But for private firms to match government ambition, they will need to align more closely with the mindset of risk-taking, experimentation, and long-term impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what is really holding AI back in the Gulf, Khalili does not hesitate. It is not the tools. It is not the infrastructure. It is the culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For AI to succeed, organizations must prioritize internal literacy, build inclusive leadership and rethink what success looks like. And above all, they must stop waiting for certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThink of AI as a fundamental capability, not a peripheral one,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout addressing the organizational culture first, no AI pilots can deliver enterprise-wide value for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many Gulf companies, artificial intelligence solutions are failing to catch on not because of some weakness in the technology, but because corporate leaders are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,15,16,43,44,4,45,7,36],"tags":[42,46],"class_list":["post-2694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-business","category-finance","category-food","category-health","category-international","category-medical","category-mena","category-technology","tag-ai","tag-middle-east"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/pictures\/August\/20\/2025\/boardroom_meeting.jpg\")
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