The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) raises a central question: are investments in compute infrastructure matched by an equally robust build-out of skills, incentives, and governance? Grounded in socio-technical systems (STS) theory, this mixed-methods study audits workforce preparedness across Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. We combine term frequency--inverse document frequency (TF--IDF) analysis of six national AI strategies (NASs), an inventory of 47 publicly disclosed AI initiatives (January 2017--April 2025), paired case studies, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) Academy, and a scenario matrix linking oil-revenue slack (technical capacity) to regulatory coherence (social alignment). Across the corpus, 34/47 initiatives (0.72; 95% Wilson CI 0.58--0.83) exhibit joint social--technical design; country-level indices span 0.57--0.90 (small n; intervals overlap). Scenario results suggest that, under our modeled conditions, regulatory convergence plausibly binds outcomes more than fiscal capacity: fragmented rules can offset high oil revenues, while harmonized standards help preserve progress under austerity. We also identify an emerging two-track talent system, research elites versus rapidly trained practitioners, that risks labor-market bifurcation without bridging mechanisms. By extending STS inquiry to oil-rich, state-led economies, the study refines theory and sets a research agenda focused on longitudinal coupling metrics, ethnographies of coordination, and outcome-based performance indicators.

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Formula 1 and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have been partners for more than six years. But, that longstanding partnership is now set to reach new heights as the popular sports league and the leading tech company will leverage AWS tools to develop a generative artificial intelligence-designed trophy for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. The first-of-its-kind approach to the trophy for the highly-anticipated event is expected to help increase creativity.

Bahrain's military command has accused Yemen's Houthi fighters of killing two Bahraini soldiers in a drone attack on Saudi Arabia's southern border with Yemen. A number of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the attack, Bahrain's military said in a statement, which was carried by the official Bahrain News Agency on Monday. The exact number of soldiers wounded was not released. "This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the southern border of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of military operations between the warring sides in Yemen," the Bahraini military statement said. The island nation of Bahrain is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which has been at war with Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen for several years.

According to information published by the US DoD on November 23, 2022, U.S. 5th Fleet began a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event in Bahrain that will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time. Various unmanned systems sit on display in Manama, Bahrain. The event, called Digital Horizon, will advance the command's efforts to integrate new unmanned technologies while establishing the world's first unmanned surface vessel fleet by end of next summer. U.S. 5th Fleet's efforts are focused on improving what U.S. and regional navies are able to see above, on and below the water. Digital Horizon will include 17 industry partners bringing 15 different types of systems, 10 of which will operate with U.S. 5th Fleet for the first time.

Over the past few years, the Kingdom of Bahrain has made great and qualitative leaps in various economic, educational and technological fields, led by its leadership, regionally and globally, in the field of artificial intelligence and information technology. A field that is considered today one of the most important activities around the world, and attracts investments by major international companies, It is witnessing a state of competition, both at the governmental and private levels. The Kingdom of Bahrain would not have enjoyed this distinguished position in this vital field, except with the support and popularization of this vital sector by state officials, in addition the ability of Bahraini youth whom excel and a have a deep desire for creativity and innovation. His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, is considered the first and true supporter in the field of technology for many students. In addition to His Highness's support for the category of people with disabilities through the "Science in Humanity" conference, as well as the "Techno for Disability" conference, where His Highness strives to enhance the capabilities of students of all groups and support them.

Founded by Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, the DCO is to be driven by a vision to realize a digital future for all by empowering women, youth, and entrepreneurs, growing the digital economy, and leapfrogging with innovation. "We are joining hands together towards a commitment to drive consensus on digital cooperation to make sure that we seize an opportunity for our youth, our women and our entrepreneurs with the ambition to grow our combined digital economy to one trillion dollars in the next 3-5 years," said Abdullah Amer Al-Swaha, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology. "Our future prosperity will depend on the digital economy. But it can only reach its full potential if we are able to make governments work together collectively with businesses, and entrepreneurs so they can survive and thrive, expand their depth into current markets, and open doors for everyone into new ones." The launch of the DCO follows the conclusion of Saudi Arabia's G20 Presidency to maintain the Kingdom's momentum on accelerating the growth of the digital economy across the region and the globe, as nations everywhere increase their adoption of remote learning, telemedicine, and contact-less economic systems to survive and thrive beyond the social and economic impact of COVID-19.

China's Defense Ministry on Sunday blasted a critical U.S. report on the country's military ambitions, saying it is the U.S. instead that poses the biggest threat to the international order… Oman welcomes Bahrain's decision to normalize relations with Israel and hopes it will contribute to Israeli-Palestinian peace, Oman state media said on Sunday. Pushing for new roads to reelection, President Donald Trump is going on the offense this weekend in Nevada, which hasn't supported a Republican presidential candidate since 2004. Housing and Construction Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman threatened Sunday to resign if the government implements a lockdown over the Yamim Nora'im. The United Arab Emirates' Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science have agreed to work together, UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday.… Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told Turkish media on Friday that Egypt is currently mediating a new prisoner exchange deal between Gaza Strip's rulers and Israel.

Maxime Firth's business is complicated to manage, even in good times. His company, Onduline, turns recycled fibres into roofing material, after dousing them with bitumen to make them waterproof, and sells products in 100 countries. Its eight production plants span from Nizhny Novgorod in Russia and Penang in Malaysia, to Juiz de Fora in Brazil. Further complicating his supply chain, Mr Firth's business is strongly seasonal. People install roofs in the summer, so products are made from January to March, to sell from April to September.

Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council are stepping up their use of artificial intelligence tools to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Governments throughout the GCC -- a group of countries in the Middle East that includes Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates -- have enacted some of world's strictest measures, including suspending passenger flights and imposing curfews on citizens to put brakes on the number of new cases of Covid-19 that currently total over 2 million (2,064,115) globally, according to Johns Hopkins University data. But countries aren't restricting their efforts to simply imploring their residents to stay locked in and shutting down all but the most essential of businesses. They are increasingly deploying sophisticated technology to ensure that movement is limited and social distancing is in place through the use of speed cameras, drones and robots. By applying location-based contact tracing, governments can monitor those who have tested positive for coronavirus, and try to limit their exposure to the population.

Erratic oil prices in recent years have made economic diversification essential, and AI is an alternate solution. Having made an early start, these states are positioned to become a key player in AI technology. Dividing the Middle East into four main regions, first, the UAE, second, Saudi Arabia, the GCC 4 comprising of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar on third and lastly Egypt, a PWC research expects the Arab states to accrue two percent of the total global benefits in the next ten years. Projected to mark the highest gains, the UAE would get nearly 14 percent on its GDP in 2030 while the kingdom of Saudi Arabia should make over US $135 billion by that time as well, this being nearly 12.4 percent of its GDP. Assigning large budgets for the speedy implementation of AI, these two GCC states have made a major impact.