Inside IBM's AI playbook: Why productivity, not hype, is driving the conversation
There's no shortage of AI talk in global boardrooms right now. But IBM isn't talking – it's doing. While many firms are still testing pilot programmes and debating frameworks, IBM has gone full scale. And the results are starting to speak for themselves.
At Dubai AI Week 2025, amid announcements and prototypes from across the tech spectrum, IBM's message was rooted in something refreshingly clear: real-world execution.
'At IBM, we have long believed in technology's power to not just solve real-world challenges but to fundamentally reshape industries and societies,' explained Shukri Eid, General Manager for Gulf, Levant & Pakistan at IBM.
Productivity, at scale
IBM's story is not about AI as a future possibility. It's about what happens when you put it at the heart of how a business actually operates. Since January 2023, the company has delivered $3.5 billion in productivity gains and generated $12.7 billion in free cash flow in 2024 alone – outcomes that have little to do with experimentation and everything to do with execution.
The internal transformation programme, dubbed Client Zero, involved rolling out AI, hybrid cloud and automation technologies across every corner of the organisation. This included HR, procurement, finance and customer service – not in isolation, but as part of a systemic overhaul.
'IBM is laser-focused on harnessing AI to tackle the world's most complex problems, while carefully managing risks and adhering to robust governance frameworks to create lasting, impactful change,' said Eid.
The changes are concrete. An AI assistant now handles 94 per cent of employee HR queries without human intervention. In customer service, 70 per cent of incoming requests are resolved via digital assistants, cutting resolution time and raising satisfaction scores. Internally, IBM staff saved a reported 3.9 million hours in 2024 through automation.
A responsible approach
IBM's approach to AI also comes with a clear stance on governance and ethics – a priority for regulators and governments across the region.
'We are eager to collaborate with the region's most ambitious innovators to unlock new opportunities and accelerate AI progress, in alignment with Dubai's Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence,' Eid shared.
IBM's efforts were formally recognised during Dubai AI Week, when the company received the Dubai AI Seal – the UAE's highest certification for responsible and effective AI deployment.
'Dubai and the UAE are leading the way in setting global standards for trustworthy AI, and as the region continues to advance in digital innovation, we are eager to strengthen our partnerships with local stakeholders to support sustainable and responsible AI development,' Eid noted.
From culture to capability
Perhaps what's most significant about IBM's transformation is the cultural shift behind it. AI isn't being confined to the IT department. Through initiatives like the watsonx Challenge, the company encouraged more than 178,000 employees to develop AI tools tailored to their day-to-day work – many of which have now been rolled out company-wide.
It's a bottom-up movement supported by top-down vision – with strategic oversight from the CEO's office and operational teams working in agile two-week sprints to deploy, test and refine new solutions.
And while AI is still evolving, IBM is already looking toward the next phase: agentic AI. These are systems designed not just to support decisions, but to autonomously manage entire workflows from start to finish – potentially transforming how businesses operate at a structural level.
The takeaway
IBM's experience won't be easy to replicate – but it offers a roadmap for others looking to make AI real inside the enterprise. It's not about innovation theatre. It's about outcomes.
As Eid put it: 'Our presence at Dubai AI Week underscored our dedication to advancing AI as a transformative force that drives productivity, delivers measurable ROI, and fosters sustainable growth on a global scale.'
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