Who Is Paying the Price for the Rush Toward Artificial Intelligence?

By: Abdullah Saeed Al Habsi, MIoL

Whenever a new artificial intelligence project is announced, people are captivated by its scale, its capabilities, and the opportunities it promises. We hear about larger data centers, faster servers, and services that can complete tasks in minutes that once took hours. Yet an economic question does not receive the same attention: who is paying the cost of this race right now, and when will its fruits reach the ordinary citizen who neither owns a tech company nor works in a data center?

The Cost of the Race Before the Return Appears

On October 16, Reuters reported that central bank officials were voicing concerns over rising global demand for capital driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence projects. Spending on computing, electricity, and telecommunications is happening today, while the productivity gains supposed to offset it may be delayed. This does not mean the technology is useless, but it means calculating the cost should precede celebrating the expected return.

How the Egyptian Economy Is Affected

This debate matters practically to the Egyptian economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises need financing to upgrade their machinery, develop their products, and preserve jobs. If money becomes more expensive globally, the impact will not be limited to big tech companies. A workshop, factory, or service institution may find itself facing a difficult decision between buying necessary equipment and funding a digital project whose outcomes are not yet clear. Here, we should not treat everything carrying the name artificial intelligence as an investment that takes priority over others.

Start with the Problem, Not the Technology

The standard I propose is simple: start with the problem, not the technology. If a hospital is suffering from long patient wait times, measure the causes of the delay first. If a factory is losing hours due to recurring breakdowns, identify where the flaws lie. Artificial intelligence may offer an excellent solution, or better maintenance, organizational management, or employee training might suffice. The goal is not to prove that we have a smart system, but for the beneficiary to feel a genuine improvement.

The Cost of Relying on Vendors

There is another cost that does not appear on purchase invoices: the cost of dependency. When an institution relies on an external vendor to analyze data, manage appointments, or monitor equipment, a service outage can disrupt an entire operation. This is why contracts must include the right to access data, backup procedures during outages, and clear limits on vendor liability. An institution cannot continually apologize to people by claiming the system caused the glitch.

Training and Human Responsibility

I believe training is the most underestimated part. It is not enough for an employee to learn how to press the right buttons. They must understand when to review a result, how to spot an error, and to whom to raise an objection. The greater the impact of a decision on a human life, the greater the need for a clear human authority who can be held accountable. Artificial intelligence that assists a doctor, employee, or engineer should expand their working capacity, not rob them of professional judgment.

What Suits Egypt’s Needs?

One of the experiences worth reflecting on in the UAE is linking digital transformation to improving everyday services, but benefiting from experiences does not mean cloning them. Every economy has its needs, capabilities, and priorities. In Egypt, the greatest value may lie in affordable tools that reach small factories, schools, and local services, rather than massive projects whose impact on people is difficult to measure.

Transparency of Results Before Continuing Investment

We also need transparency in evaluating results. How many hours did the system save? How many errors did it reduce? What is its annual operating cost? And can the beneficiary object if harmed by an automated decision? Publishing these indicators makes the debate surrounding technology more mature than comparing investment volumes. It also helps institutions halt an unproductive project instead of pressing on for fear of admitting that expectations were overly optimistic.

Success Lies in Impact, Not Investment Scale

I am not calling for a slowdown in adopting artificial intelligence, but for discipline in using public and private money. The real race is not over who buys the most hardware, but who turns technology into a better service or product without burdening the economy with commitments it cannot fulfill. In the end, the value of artificial intelligence is not measured by the number of servers, but by the clear impact it leaves on people’s lives.

Source: Reuters, October 16, 2026 — Report on the impact of the artificial intelligence boom on global demand for financing. Read the original report

Abdullah Saeed Al Habsi, MIoL
Emirati writer and researcher specializing in security, risk management, and organizational resilience
A.S. Alhebsi
Member of the Institute of Leadership (UK)

Published by Hany Sallam

Hany Sallam, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Scientific Magazine Ahram
An independent Arabic science magazine operating since 2008, dedicated to simplifying science, technology, space, natural phenomena and scientific stories for Arabic readers. The magazine includes sections such as “Zodiac Group” and “Stories and Tales”, alongside science topics that combine knowledge with a spirit of discovery. It operates independently and is not affiliated with Al-Ahram Press Foundation or any governmental body.