Panel Discussion: AI Beyond the Hype

A fantastic morning of conversation, practical insights and candid discussion as AmCham Dubai & The Northern Emirates brought together business and HR leaders for AI Beyond the Hype: From Experimentation to Real Business Impact at Almas Conference Centre on September 17, 2026.

Sammy Bousaba, Chairman of AmCham Dubai & the Northern Emirates and Managing Director, Sales MEIA at FedEx, welcomed guests and opened a program developed by AmCham Dubai’s HR Committee, focused on moving AI beyond experimentation and turning it into meaningful business impact.

We were delighted to welcome Consul General of Switzerland Christoph Bühler and members of the Swiss Business Council United Arab Emirates, bringing another valuable international perspective to the morning.

A highlight was the keynote from Professor Nirmal Chhabria, best-selling author and Academic Director at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business in Dubai. Nirmal challenged us to think beyond simply giving people access to AI and instead consider how it changes the way work actually gets done. The morning also included a special book signing of his best-selling book, The Claude Handbook.

The conversation continued with an executive panel moderated by Anastasiia Andriianova, Medtronic, HR Committee Co-Chair, alongside:

Special thanks to our HR Committee Co-Chairs Anastasiia Andriianova and Nina Chami for driving the program, and to everyone who joined us and contributed to such an engaging discussion.

AI may be moving fast, but the conversation is increasingly about what comes next: adoption, leadership and turning capability into real business value.