"No more need for humans": Mohammed Alabbar says artificial intelligence will eliminate half of Noon’s jobs

Mohammed Alabbar, the founder of Emaar, has announced that the e-commerce company Noon will reduce its workforce by half over the next three months; as he is extensively utilizing artificial intelligence agents in his companies.

Alabbar, who spoke last week at the Business Summit 26 in Belgrade, Serbia, stated that artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the operational structure of his companies.

He said:

"I have 12 artificial intelligence agents working for me simultaneously. In our companies, the number of Noon employees will decrease by 50 percent in three months."

Alabbar explained that artificial intelligence now automates tasks such as job interviews, decision-making, and operational processes.

He added:

"For the first time, the 45-minute job interview has been fully automated. We no longer conduct interviews; it is the artificial intelligence that does this work. Even during the interview, it analyzes and measures your breathing. Artificial intelligence will change everything."

He also mentioned that Emaar has not hired any new staff in the past three years.

Alabbar stated:

"At Emaar, whether in the technology company or the real estate sector, I do not have a large workforce. We do not allow hiring. This is one of my policies. In the past three years, we have not hired anyone at Emaar, while our business has grown by 150 percent. Our employees are very efficient. But overall, there is no longer a need for humans."

His remarks come as artificial intelligence is changing the workforce structure of companies, and advanced AI assistants can now perform tasks ranging from routine administrative work to complex programming with greater speed and accuracy.

The United Arab Emirates is on the path to becoming one of the global leaders in artificial intelligence while simultaneously moving its economy away from oil dependency. The country’s research and investments in the field of artificial intelligence have led to the formation of startups, collaborations, and investments from companies like Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI.

The UAE has also collaborated with the United States to build an artificial intelligence campus in Abu Dhabi, which will include AI data centers with a capacity of 5 gigawatts.

However, according to a joint forecast by ServiceNow and Pearson released in December, the transformation driven by artificial intelligence will ultimately require a larger workforce.

Researchers predict that the UAE will need to add over one million new workers by 2030, and organizations will require about 91,000 more technology specialists. Additionally, jobs such as search marketing strategy, programming, and computer systems analysis will be among the high-demand areas.

Founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alabbar and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Noon now operates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Egypt. The company announced last week that it intends to begin operations in Syria as well.

Source: National News