As part of the IBBC Basrah Conference 2025, the IBBC Tech Forum webinar—moderated by Ashley Goodall—brought together Phil McCauley, Dr. Neil Cobbold, Raghad Al-Abboodi and Makram Jaibaji to examine how AI is accelerating infrastructure delivery, reshaping labour markets, expanding women’s participation in tech and strengthening Iraq’s digital resilience.

The discussion crystallised a set of high-impact opportunities that various stakeholders can capture, including:

• Government & Planners: AI-enabled master-planning delivers up to 70% faster design, 90–100% accuracy and around 30% lower costs, accelerating major housing and infrastructure programmes.
• Investors & Developers: AI-supported engineering and modular construction enables faster delivery of infrastructure and real estate projects at scale, creating clearer, more investable urban development pipelines.
• Education & Skills Institutions: Rapid growth in AI-driven roles opens opportunities for institutions to lead with modernised curricula focused on AI literacy, domain integration and human–AI collaboration—positioning graduates for the expanding job frontier.
• Iraq’s Tech Workforce: Structured training pathways are translating into strong employment outcomes, with around 75% of participants securing technology roles within six months, reflecting sustained market demand for AI-aligned digital skills.
• Security & Critical Infrastructure Operators — sovereign data centres and AI-driven monitoring enhance protection of national systems amid rising cyber risks.

Read the full insights & takeaways here

To watch full video recording, press here

The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) brings together business, trade, investment and education partners from the UK, Iraq and beyond to support a free, prosperous and diversified Iraq.

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