Saudi AI firm Shaffra helps firms save up to 800,000 work hours using digital employees

RIYADH: Saudi artificial intelligence firm Shaffra has helped businesses save up to 800,000 work hours through AI-powered project management this year, as companies across the Kingdom begin integrating autonomous digital employees into their operations.

The Riyadh-based startup is also deploying AI recruiters that conduct approximately 15,000 to 20,000 interviews, while its AI call center services handle between 7,000 and 8,000 calls daily, according to CEO and co-founder Alharith Al-Atawi.

In an interview with Arab News, Al-Atawi said the company is working with several Saudi businesses and government entities to deploy AI employees across recruitment, customer service, human resources and project management, although enterprise-wide adoption remains at an early stage.

“While this is an important first step, the greater opportunity lies in integrating AI employees across internal business functions and making them part of how organisations operate every day,” he said, referring to the growing use of AI-powered customer service.

The developments come as Saudi Arabia marks 2026 as its Year of Artificial Intelligence, reinforcing the technology’s role in economic diversification under Vision 2030.

According to the General Authority for Statistics, AI adoption among Saudi businesses reached 33.1 percent in 2025, up from 27.6 percent in 2024. The information and communications sector led at 61.1 percent, followed by financial and insurance activities at 52.9 percent.

The Kingdom also ranked fourth globally in corporate AI adoption in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026, the Saudi Press Agency reported in June.

It was also ranked 13th globally among 70 countries included in the report and third among G20 economies.

The Kingdom was also placed fourth globally in societal access to artificial intelligence, and fifth in AI trust indicators.

When it came to corporate investment in AI, Saudi Arabia was ranked fifth, reflecting efforts to create an enabling environment for innovation and investment.

Cost savings

Al-Atawi said AI employees are already delivering measurable financial benefits, allowing companies to rethink entire processes rather than simply automate individual tasks.

One Shaffra client previously spent approximately $150,000 annually assessing 300 employees.

Following AI implementation, the cost fell to about $30,000 a year, while the number of employees assessed increased to 7,000.

“The opportunity is to rethink how work gets done, not simply automate individual tasks,” he said.

Al-Atawi identified customer service, revenue operations, HR, finance and accounting, and business operations as the five functions offering the strongest opportunities for autonomous AI teams.

He added that smaller businesses could particularly benefit by managing larger workloads without proportionately increasing headcount, although implementation costs and skills shortages remain obstacles.

Adoption barriers

Despite technological advances, Al-Atawi said organizational resistance and unclear accountability remain among the biggest challenges preventing Saudi companies from deploying AI employees at scale.

“The biggest obstacles we encounter are organisational rather than technical,” he said.

He explained that businesses must establish who oversees AI implementation, whether technology departments or operational teams, while building confidence in delegating responsibilities to autonomous systems.

Senior executives must also establish governance structures and clear responsibilities to support wider adoption, he added.

Saudi authorities have introduced guidance addressing these concerns.

In April, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority issued a generative programming framework covering agentic AI tools in software development, emphasizing human oversight and reliable outputs.

Al-Atawi stressed that AI employees require controlled access to sensitive information, audit trails and continuous monitoring, with consequential decisions remaining subject to human approval.

Workforce transformation

Looking ahead, Al-Atawi expects AI to reshape how Saudi employees work over the next three to five years, particularly in roles involving repetitive administrative responsibilities.

“Some repetitive roles will disappear or change, as has happened with previous technological shifts, but new roles and industries will emerge,” he said.

He emphasized that employees will increasingly supervise AI-driven processes while concentrating on responsibilities requiring creativity, experience and judgment.

Workforce preparation is already expanding across the Kingdom.

In June, SDAIA reported that more than 1.56 million citizens had benefited from its training programs, including 14,495 specialists and experts in data and AI.

Al-Atawi said businesses should prioritize practical, role-specific training for existing employees rather than relying exclusively on recruiting AI specialists.

He also cited World Economic Forum projections suggesting that 45 percent of work tasks in Saudi Arabia could be performed autonomously by technology by 2030, including technologies beyond AI employees.

Expansion plans

Shaffra, which develops enterprise AI infrastructure and autonomous workforces, announced more than 20 additional AI employee roles following the June launch of its subconscious AI architecture in Riyadh.

The roles, scheduled for release during 2026, cover sales, finance, HR, operations and customer service.

The company is backed by investors including Ooredoo Corporate, stc and Omantel, supporting its ambitions to expand its enterprise AI infrastructure across regional and international markets.

Al-Atawi said achieving wider adoption will require reliable business data, workforce training and safeguards that preserve human accountability as AI assumes greater operational responsibilities.