Contrary to common belief that Lebanon lags behind in digital transformation and artificial intelligence, the data suggests otherwise. Around 37% of Lebanese companies use AI technologies—a notably high figure for a country facing economic, social, and political challenges. This compares to 55%–65% in the United States and 25%–35% in Europe.

This is confirmed by senior AI advisor at the Ministry of State for Technology, lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, and CEO of Sensio Air, Cyrille Najjar.

He notes that Lebanon stands out for its strong intellectual capacity and highly capable workforce, both actively striving to adopt AI, with adoption rates among the highest globally—placing the country within the top 20 in this field.

Years after ChatGPT and its peers entered the lives of Lebanese people, changing lifestyles and intensifying discussions about the potential disappearance of certain jobs in favor of new roles and specialties, the question arises: has AI in Lebanon helped create new job opportunities, and how has it contributed to business development?

Najjar emphasizes that the impact of AI on the Lebanese labor market is still in its growth phase, yet its “positive” direction is clear. Rather than directly causing job losses, it has significantly transformed the nature of work.

He explains that these tools act as attendants and assistants to workers rather than replacing them, increasing employee productivity and enabling greater achievement.

In a challenging economic environment, AI has become a fundamental development tool for both companies and individuals, improving performance and reducing costs.

Notably, “Lebanese have a high rate of using AI tools, especially among young people and those working in digital fields, giving them a rare global competitive edge, enhanced by their multilingual skills.”

Additionally, Najjar reveals that over 150 AI startups are active in Lebanon, and about 12% of the workforce is engaged in AI-related jobs. With the growing demand in these fields and the eagerness of Lebanese youth to learn," the ministry has provided extensive training programs, offering up to 200,000 free training certificates in collaboration with global platforms such as Microsoft and Google Cloud Platform to enhance the skills of Lebanese youth.”

Regarding economic impact, he points to a 20% to 35% increase in workforce productivity, expecting a significant impact on GDP in the coming years, with the possibility of a 150% increase if this trend continues.

Jobs and sectors affected by AI

According to Najjar, declining jobs are those involving repetitive and rule-based tasks, such as data entry, some accounting tasks, or simple translation work.

Conversely, new and more specialized roles have emerged in AI, data analysis, and technical development, including positions such as AI engineer and data analyst.

He says, “There is a belief that AI destroys job opportunities and the economy, especially with its rapid development making it more potent and capable of replacing some traditional jobs. However, the picture in Lebanon is different. Since society has not yet transformed into a digital society and services have not been digitized, the benefits of AI outweigh the harms from it.”

He reminds that historically, Lebanon served as a platform for developers and was advanced in coding and software engineering.

A more cautious view of AI's effects

Conversely, Roland Abi Najm, a cyber security and AI advisor, offers a more cautious perspective, stating that despite AI’s significant contribution to business development, cost reduction, and increased efficiency, it has not created new job opportunities but has reduced them.

Moreover, he points out that many jobs have been negatively affected, such as secretary assistants, content creation, design, and programming, where these tasks can be completed by AI tools in seconds.

He explains that companies now need fewer employees, as one employee supported by these tools can do the work of an entire team.

Despite the economic and political challenges Lebanon faces, AI appears as a real opportunity to redefine the labor market and enhance competitiveness in a Lebanese environment inclined toward exploration and experimentation. Amid this reality, the core bet is not on the mere existence of AI, but on the ability of individuals and institutions to adapt to it and turn it from a challenge into an opportunity for growth and advancement.

So, when will the private sector experience transition to the state?