There’s a moment each day—often without us even realizing it—when AI quietly influences our decisions. A curated playlist. A search result. A route suggestion that avoids traffic. In our personal lives, artificial intelligence has moved from novelty to normality. But in business, its presence is far more disruptive—and far more powerful.

The conversations I have with clients today are very different from those we had just a few years ago. Whether it’s a founder of a growing F&B brand or a corporate leader in real estate, one question consistently comes up: What should we be doing about AI?

The answer, of course, depends on context. But what’s clear is this: businesses that treat AI as a future consideration are already behind.

AI in the Everyday

In Dubai, a city that prides itself on being ahead of the curve, AI is already integrated into our infrastructure—from predictive traffic management to smart government services. For consumers, this raises expectations. Convenience is no longer a luxury; it’s assumed. Personalization is no longer impressive; it’s expected.

This shift creates both pressure and possibility for businesses. The pressure to adapt is real. But so is the opportunity to unlock efficiency, insight, and customer experience at an entirely new level.

What It Means for Business Leaders

AI is not a replacement for strategy—it’s an amplifier of it. At PG Advisory, we view AI as a tool that should be applied with intention. That means using it not just for automation, but for augmentation: helping teams make better decisions, improving financial forecasting, optimizing operations, and even identifying emerging market gaps before they become obvious.

It’s particularly relevant in sectors like:

• Hospitality, where AI can tailor guest experiences and streamline service delivery.
• Retail, where inventory, pricing, and customer targeting are becoming increasingly data-driven.
• SMEs, where resource limitations can be offset with smart tools for marketing, planning, and CRM.

A Word of Caution

Not every business needs a chatbot or a machine-learning model. But every business leader needs an AI literacy. We’ve entered a time when understanding the basics of how these systems work—and how they can be responsibly integrated—is no longer optional.

Final Thought

We often talk about transformation in dramatic terms. But the most profound changes tend to happen quietly, until suddenly they become undeniable. AI is not just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping the expectations we set, the risks we manage, and the opportunities we see.

The question isn’t whether your business will be affected by AI. The question is whether you’ll shape that impact—or simply react to it.