There’s a little moment I always find fascinating. You know the one – when you open your favourite music app on a Tuesday evening, and it suggests a playlist that’s exactly right for your mood, before you even knew what that mood was. It is uncanny, almost like a friend who gets you. For years, we’ve called this personalisation, but honestly, a lot of it felt robotic. That “Hello, Cosmin!” at the top of an email when everything else inside was generic? It missed the mark.
But something is changing across our region. The clumsy tech is getting smarter, quieter, and much more helpful. It’s starting to feel less like a computer guessing and more like a concierge who listens. And in a place like the Middle East, where hospitality and personal touch are in our DNA, this shift from cold algorithms to warm intuition isn’t just nice to have – it is what people now expect.
Beyond the filter: talking to your apps
Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. You open an events page or a travel site, full of intent but unsure of the exact words. You don’t always search for “indie rock concert.” Sometimes you just want “a lively night out with old friends,” or “a quiet, cultural date idea.” The old world of checkboxes and drop-down filters often fails these real, human moments.
The progress we are seeing now is all about closing that gap. It is the move from searching to conversing. I’ve seen it in our own work, where letting people type a simple prompt like “unique experiences to try” gets them to what they want far faster than any filter maze. It’s a small change on the surface, but it respects how people actually think. They lead with feeling and occasion, not jargon. And when a tool understands that, the whole experience just flows better. You feel heard, not processed.
Your invisible wingman
The real magic starts when this smart help begins to connect the dots of your life. For instance, a platform that goes beyond simply selling tickets. Knowing you love fusion cuisine, it could suggest a new restaurant near the venue. Seeing it’s raining, it might discreetly prompt you to book a taxi in advance. It becomes less of a shop and more of a helpful companion for your entire plan.
This isn’t science fiction; it’s the direction the smartest brands here are headed. I see it in how a new airline is designing every digital touchpoint to feel uniquely tailored, or how a grocery chain is using smart screens to show relevant offers as you walk down the aisle. The technology works in the background, making everything smoother. The best kind of tech, in my view, is the kind you don’t really notice – it just makes things simpler.
The human touch in a personalised, digital world
Now, with all this talk of AI, you might worry that our personal touch is getting lost. I see it another way. Our regional strength has always been in genuine connection – the remembered name, the thoughtful recommendation, the warmth of a welcome. Technology should serve as the foundation that enhances this human magic, rather than hindering it.
Think about it. If an AI handles the basic “what, when, and where,” it frees up a human host, a shop assistant, or a concierge to focus on the “how” and the “why.” They have the information to be more personally attentive, to add that spontaneous extra touch that turns a good experience into a memorable story. The future isn’t human versus machine. It’s human and machine, where the machine handles the predictable, so the human can excel at the personal.
Looking ahead: the personal concierge
So, where is all this heading? Imagine that for a moment. A digital assistant who really understands you – not only your purchase history, but also what is important to you. It knows you prefer to support local businesses, that you’re trying to be more sustainable, and that you always need a good coffee spot in a new neighbourhood.
This isn’t one app; it’s a seamless layer over your digital life. It might ping you: “Hey, that Kuwaiti chef you follow is doing a pop-up dinner next week. Your calendar looks open, and your friend Sara loved her last book. Shall I book two seats?” It feels less like an advertisement and more like a thoughtful nudge from someone who’s paid attention. It turns the overwhelming noise of options into a curated, trusted shortlist for your life.
We’re on the path to building that here in MENA. We have the digital savvy, the cultural emphasis on personal relationships, and the vision to make it happen. The goal, at least for me, has never been the cleverest algorithm. It is creating those little moments of delight—the perfect recommendation, the saved hour, the feeling that a service genuinely gets you. That’s the kind of connection that lasts, and it’s the future we’re all building together
By Cosmin Ivan, CEO at Platinumlist.
