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Insight

Our point of view.

We publish independent research and analysis on the state of data and AI in the region. It reflects how we think, and what we believe decides who profits from this moment.

Insight

Latest thinking.

June 2026 · 4 min read

What Net Zero 2050 demands of government data

Net Zero is a data problem before it is an energy problem. Most governments are not set up for it yet.

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May 2026 · 3 min read

Start with a diagnostic, not a platform

The instinct is to buy a platform. The better first move is much smaller.

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April 2026 · 3 min read

What ‘trustworthy data’ actually means

‘Trustworthy data’ is used so often it has stopped meaning anything. Here is what it actually requires.

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March 2026 · 4 min read

Why most AI initiatives fail before they begin

AI projects rarely fail because the model was wrong. They fail because the ground underneath was never built to hold one.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

In banking, the AI model isn't the risk

Regulators are starting to ask examiners' questions about AI-driven decisions. Here is what that means for banks.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

Digital government strategies rarely fail at the policy level

They fail in the data layer underneath it, usually about eighteen months in.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

A smart city is only as smart as the sensor data no one is auditing

Traffic, utility and public safety systems increasingly run on live feeds few operators have stress-tested.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

An AI recommendation you can't explain is one you can't use

In healthcare, the bar for an AI system is not accuracy alone. It is defensibility.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

Net Zero targets are only as credible as the data behind them

Sustainability commitments are increasingly judged on the credibility of the data, not the ambition alone.

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July 2026 · 3 min read

Operational AI inherits every flaw already in the data

Predictive maintenance, crew scheduling and route optimisation depend on data built for operations, not analytics.

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Raffman Research · 2026

The State of Data and AI Readiness in the UAE

The country leads the world in AI adoption. The harder question is whether the data underneath is ready to turn that lead into returns. A view from the foundation.

Flagship report

The lead is real. The return is not, yet.

Adoption has raced ahead of value. Most organisations now have AI running somewhere, but few can show what it changed. The reason is not the models. It is the foundation underneath.

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Self-assessment

Is your data actually ready for AI?

The UAE leads the world in AI adoption, yet most AI spend returns nothing, because the data underneath was never built for it. Ten honest questions, scored out of 20, in five minutes.

PDF·3 pages·5 min
Take the scorecard online →Download the scorecard (PDF) View on LinkedIn
Self-assessment

The Data Readiness Scorecard

Ten questions across foundation, quality, governance, pipelines and AI readiness. Score each Yes (2), Partly (1), No (0), out of 20. Most organisations score lower than they expect, which is exactly the point.

What we write about

Data, AI and the foundation beneath them.

Our writing stays in four disciplines: data and business intelligence, artificial intelligence, governance and trust, and blockchain. We cover what is new through the lens of the decisions it affects, never the hype.

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