Predicting anything right now feels impossible. After two decades working across the MENA region, I won’t pretend to know exactly what the next few years hold, especially after reading a new report on artificial intelligence (AI) that paints a future darker than most of us dare say out loud. But there are principles I’ve learned from the thousands of conversations with clients here and around the world that can help you compete now.  If you work in talent today, you can feel it: the ground is shifting under your feet. The Middle East isn’t just catching up with global hiring trends, it’s pulling ahead. AI is racing forward. Candidates want stability and growth. And leaders are realizing that the old hiring playbook no longer works. This isn’t a “future of work” story. It’s a right now story. And if you’re responsible for finding, growing, or keeping great people—you know exactly what I mean.

The Temptation Of AI Agents (And The Truth No One Likes To Admit)

AI used to be something companies talked about. Now it’s something they use. Recruiters aren’t being replaced, but they are being rewired. But what does the data say? According to Korn Ferry’s 2026 Talent Acquisition Trends report, 84 percent of global talent leaders say they plan to use AI in 2026.   And it’s not just about screening CVs: more than half (52 percent) of talent leaders plan to add autonomous AI agents to their teams in 2026. That doesn’t mean these AI agents are replacing roles; it means the work itself is evolving. The smartest companies are using AI to take the repetitive load off people, so that humans can do the work machines can’t: judgment, relationships, and decisions that shape the business.  Leaders do need to be careful with the lens they use when integrating AI agents. If the only lens is cost-cutting, they will miss the bigger picture: AI should strengthen teams, not hollow them out. Yes, companies can save money in the short term by swapping a six-figure role for a five-figure AI agent. But we don’t have any real data that proves this model can fuel sustained growth over the next 5–10 years.   What we do know today is that businesses grow when people work well together, when teams challenge each other, make judgment calls, and build the kind of trust no algorithm can replicate. The companies that win aren’t the ones cutting costs today; they’re the ones building capability for tomorrow.

Read the full article here: 

‍