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Saudi Arabia And UAE Are At The Forefront Of An AI Revolution
The AI market in the MENA region is expected to grow at a rate of 47.8% per year.
According to the latest reports from Research and Markets, the MENA region is making significant gains in artificial intelligence, with the AI market set to grow from $500 million in 2020 to $8.4 billion by 2026.
The UAE, in particular, shows great promise as a leader in the field of AI, with a projected growth figure of 36.2% bolstered by the government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, which focuses on attracting talent, funding research & innovation hubs, and developing infrastructure and data ecosystems.
Also Read: ChatGPT Is Accelerating The AI Revolution In The Middle East
With its considerable Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia has also announced a $500 billion funding package for AI and other technologies over the next decade, launching initiatives including the Saudi Arabian Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and the National Data Management Office.
A recent study by global consultancy firm Proviti Middle East showed that over 80% of CEOs in the region believe that AI will be critical to future business success, with over 70% of companies already investing in the technology.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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