Future Now, the podcast hosted by technology executive Ihsan Anabtawi, is back for a new season under an expanded media partnership with Gulf News.
The show is focused on how leaders and the businesses they run are shaping our future, through the decisions and bets they're making today. Each episode is a candid conversation with a business or government leader, founder, CEO, investor or technologist about the ideas redefining economies and industries across the region and beyond.
Under the expanded partnership, every episode is distributed across Gulf News's digital, social and newsletter channels, alongside the show's own channels on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Anabtawi previously led AI & Cloud for AWS across the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, was EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Core42 (G42), and spent 19 years at Microsoft, including as COO and CMO for the Gulf and UAE.
The first episode of the season, Money, Machines and the Future of Investing, features Ziad Melhem, Group CEO of CFI Financial Group, on the evolving relationship between AI, trust and retail investing. As access to financial intelligence becomes increasingly democratised through AI, the conversation explores a critical question: if information becomes universally available, what distinguishes good decisions from bad ones, and what remains uniquely human?
"As we use AI more extensively for analysis and decision-making, it is important that we remain the authority," Melhem said. "The final judgement still needs to be human."
“AI is changing the way businesses operate, and leadership will evolve with it, but the fundamentals of leadership remain the same," said Anabtawi."More than ever, success depends on judgement, accountability and the ability to make decisions amid uncertainty. Future Now brings together the leaders shaping the region's future to talk about exactly that, and I'm delighted to relaunch it with Gulf News."
“At Gulf News, we believe our role goes beyond reporting on change to bringing our readers closer to the ideas, people and decisions shaping the future," said Santu Dev, Commercial Director, Gulf News. "Future Now creates a valuable platform for candid conversations with leaders across industries, offering our audience deeper insights into emerging trends, business transformation and the opportunities ahead. This partnership reinforces our commitment to delivering credible, relevant and thought-provoking content across platforms”.
The episode and show are available now on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at futurenowpod.com.