My current project asks how governance arrangements, organisational inheritance, and vendor relations shape the allocation and reproduction of technological functions within state-backed Gulf AI organisations.
About
My research focuses on the political economy of digital transformation and AI in the Gulf. At MGIMO University, this includes economic and technological interaction between Russia and the Gulf states in the digital economy. A current comparative project explores how governance, organisational inheritance, and vendor relations shape technological capability in state-backed Gulf AI organisations.
Alongside academic research, my work as a technology entrepreneur has included launching and leading AI projects in healthcare and tourism across Russia and the UAE. This experience provides practical knowledge of enterprise systems, technology organisations, and complex digital projects.
Research
My research asks whether and how sovereign investment in AI becomes lasting technological capability in the Gulf. It examines where technological functions are located, who controls them, and how they are reproduced within state-backed organisations. Possible explanations include governance arrangements, organisational inheritance, and relationships with global vendors.
The wider question is whether these capabilities remain within protected organisations or become embedded in the wider economy and labour regime. Initial empirical work compares TII and Core42 in the UAE as two contrasting configurations of technological capability and control.
- Sovereign capital and technological capability
- State-backed AI organisations
- Technological control and vendor dependence
- Productive capacity and labour absorption
Selected milestones
- 2026 Continued doctoral research at MGIMO University following the incorporation of the Diplomatic Academy.
- 2026 Presented “Institutional Factors in the Development of National AI Ecosystems: Evidence from the Gulf States” at the Inter-University Roundtable on the World Economy, organised by the MGIMO Council of Young Scientists.
- 2026 Joined the Council of Young Scientists at MGIMO University.
- 2025 Presented “Optimising Management Processes in High-Technology Industries through Predictive Analytics and LLM” at Kazan Digital Week 2025, Kazan.
- 2025 Attended the Global Summit on Digital Trade and Digital Platforms (UNCITRAL-UAE), Dubai.
- 2025 Presented “Theoretical Foundations of Geoeconomics and Digital Transformation in the Contemporary World Economy” at the III Student Research Conference, Diplomatic Academy, Moscow.
- 2024 Began doctoral research at the Diplomatic Academy on economic and technological interaction between Russia and the Gulf states in the digital economy.
- 2024 Presented “The Role of Digital Transformation in Strengthening International Cooperation and the Competitiveness of High-Technology Enterprises” at the XIV Dialogue for the Future Programme, Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, Moscow.
- 2024 Presented “Digital Platforms as a Tool for Optimising the Foreign Economic Activity of High-Technology Enterprises in the Asia-Pacific Region” at the 45th International Academic and Practical Conference “The Asia-Pacific Region: History, Economy, Politics and Culture”, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
- 2024 Graduated with honours from the Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) with a Master’s degree in Management of High-Technology Enterprises (GPA: 5.0/5.0).
- 2024 Led AI and digital-transformation projects for major organisations in healthcare and higher education through 2025.
- 2023 Raised $200,000 in pre-seed investment for an AI-based hospitality platform.
Contact
Email: aregvarda@gmail.com
ORCID: 0009-0004-3479-6358
Google Scholar: Areg Vardanian