Redefining Progress: Smarter Governance and People-First Digital Economies

Khalid Murshed, CEO of e& enterprise, presents a strategy for AI focused on sovereignty, building trust, and creating greater practical impact in daily life.

Artificial intelligence has become the central driver of digital change. For Khalid Murshed, CEO of e& enterprise, the technology branch of global group e&, the real value of AI is not in complexity alone, but in the benefits it delivers to governments, economies, and citizens’ daily lives.

He explains that AI, supported by cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity, acts as the invisible backbone of regional progress, enabling smarter governance, resilient economic growth, and services designed with people in mind.

“I always ask my teams to demonstrate the citizen impact first before discussing the technical model. AI for meaningful results isn’t about technology itself—it’s about achieving outcomes that genuinely improve everyday life,” he said.

Next-Gen Governance: AI for results, not rhetoric

Across the Middle East, governments are progressing past digital transformation into a new phase of AI-driven governance. Predictive traffic management systems are cutting travel times, AI-powered healthcare tools are enhancing diagnostics, and digital identity platforms such as UAE Pass are enabling access to over 1,000 government services.

For Murshed, these cases demonstrate that AI’s potential lies not just in automation or efficiency, but in creating real public benefit. Under his direction, e& enterprise has implemented more than 200 AI-driven solutions across industries — from healthcare models that detect diseases early, to AI assistants in justice systems, and intelligent city platforms that streamline traffic, lighting, and waste operations.

“What matters to me are tangible results — shorter commutes, quicker resolutions, and easier access through one digital identity. If citizens can’t experience the progress, then we’ve failed. True innovation isn’t about exclusivity, but about making technology accessible to everyone,” he explains.

Digital Economies: Empowerment, expansion, and AI preparedness

As nations embrace digital transformation, the capacity to deploy AI securely and at scale within local boundaries has emerged as a key differentiator. Sovereign cloud systems safeguard critical data within national jurisdictions, while cybersecurity provides the foundation of trust for digital expansion.

This vision forms the cornerstone of e& enterprise’s global approach. In Saudi Arabia, the organisation has partnered with Vision 2030 to empower government bodies and corporations through AI-driven cloud and cybersecurity frameworks, alongside establishing in-country Security Operations Centres to ensure nationwide digital resilience.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, e& enterprise is developing a regional cybersecurity hub dedicated to protecting essential systems and advancing AI integration across North Africa. The company’s growing success in securing AI projects in Eastern Europe further demonstrates how Middle Eastern-built innovations can expand globally while maintaining cultural and regulatory alignment.

In every market, the guiding principle remains unchanged: AI progress must respect local contexts, adhere to regulations, and align with national visions, supported by domestic expertise. For Khalid, data sovereignty represents not just regulatory compliance but enduring capability. As he explains, “I won’t deploy in any nation where critical data leaves its borders or resilience can’t be demonstrated. True sovereignty is built on strength, not symbolism — that’s why we localise operations and align with government goals before expanding.”

People-Focused Services: AI that Enhances Everyday Life

The true measure of AI lies in its ability to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. e& enterprise has integrated AI into essential services, designing smart copilots that predict power disruptions, enhance energy efficiency, and drive sustainability efforts.

For small and medium-sized enterprises—the core of regional growth—the company is creating cost-effective, easy-to-deploy AI copilots that bring enterprise-level intelligence within reach. In the medical field, AI is revolutionising diagnostics and imaging, improving precision and broadening accessibility to healthcare.

“SMEs shouldn’t need a full data science team to access AI’s benefits. We’re building copilots that can be set up in a weekend, connect seamlessly to existing tools, and quickly deliver gains in accuracy and productivity. Technology only fulfills its promise when people genuinely experience its advantages in everyday life,” Khalid explains.

Collaborative Innovation: Shaping the Future of AI Together

The scale of upcoming transformation cannot be achieved in isolation. e& enterprise views its alliances with AWS, Microsoft, and Meta as strategic collaborations rather than simple vendor relationships.

Through these partnerships, the company is driving advancements in sovereign cloud solutions, establishing Generative AI Centres of Excellence, and developing conversational commerce systems that enable businesses to connect with citizens in meaningful, multilingual, and culturally relevant ways.

These collaborations go beyond traditional business agreements — they represent shared visions aligned with national strategies. Their goal is to generate regional intellectual property, strengthen local AI infrastructure, and build solutions that hold both local significance and global scalability.

Khalid emphasised, “We don’t merely implement global technologies — we refine and reshape them to mirror the aspirations and requirements of our region.”

Ethical AI: Trust as the Driving Force

The rapid growth of AI raises important questions around governance, security, and ethics. For Murshed, responsibility must be integral from the start. “While speed is crucial in AI, trust acts as the multiplier. Even the quickest implementations cannot succeed without it.”

At e& enterprise, governance and oversight are embedded into every initiative, including bias evaluation, explainability frameworks, sovereign data management, and sector-specific compliance. The company implements tailored safeguards for different industries—from healthcare to energy to public services—acknowledging that each sector carries distinct challenges.

Investing in people is equally important. Through its AI Academy and the Chief AI Officer Programme (developed with Emeritus), e& enterprise trains leaders across sectors to assess, deploy, and manage AI responsibly. This ensures that as AI adoption grows, so does the expertise and capability of professionals to utilise the technology effectively and ethically.

Looking Further Ahead

Looking forward, Murshed aims to establish e& enterprise as the AI-driven digital backbone of the region—often unseen but essential, enabling coordination, efficiency, and resilience across sectors and economies.

By integrating AI into government, business, and society, reinforced by cloud technology and cybersecurity, the company is creating a future that is safe, inclusive, and sustainable.

As its presence grows throughout the Middle East, Africa, and now Eastern Europe, e& enterprise is exporting AI transformation frameworks that can be scaled worldwide. From Arabic natural language processing to intelligent district management systems and cybersecurity centres, its initiatives show that the region can serve as a proving ground for innovations with global relevance.

For Murshed, true transformation means delivering tangible impact: technology that goes beyond digitising tasks, shaping national futures, empowering citizens, and driving collective growth across communities.