A conversation about what is changing in Cyprus

Cyprus businesses urged to prepare for global competition In a rapidly evolving business environment, some discussions focus more on exploring uncertainties than providing clear answers. This insight comes from consultant Ahmad El Husseini, a management and financial consultant with over 35 years of experience, whose background may increasingly differ from the profession’s current trajectory. The exchange was informal and reflective rather than structured or formal. It grew out of curiosity about how artificial intelligence, automation, and shifting client expectations are reshaping consulting and business decision making. As he put it, “the shift is not only about new tools. It is about how value itself is being redefined in real time.” Consulting under pressure and transformation When asked how consulting might evolve in the coming years, Ahmad El Husseini pointed to a profession that is becoming more demanding from both clients and consultants. He explained that consulting will likely face “tougher and more challenging client consultant relationships in terms of needs, delivery, and satisfaction.” He also noted that expectations are increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, especially from the client side. What this suggests is a clear shift in balance. Consulting is no longer only about experience-based advice. It is also becoming tied to systems, data, and AI supported execution. Clients are arriving better informed, faster in their expectations, and more demanding in terms of outcomes. At the same time, the deeper question remains open. What part of consulting cannot be replaced by data or automation. Where does human judgment still define value. How AI is changing decision making The conversation then moved to how AI might influence decision making inside companies. Ahmad El Husseini offered a cautious but insightful view. He does not believe AI replaces decision making, but he does believe it changes how decisions feel and function inside organisations. “In terms of decision making, AI may cause the process to be more risky and shallow,” he said. He added that while AI can increase the speed of analysis and execution, it does not necessarily improve the depth of understanding behind decisions. He described a reality where companies may spend more time reviewing data and outputs yet still rely on the same internal decision making structures. The result is faster action, but not necessarily better reasoning. It is a paradox that defines many modern organisations. More information does not always lead to clearer judgment. Cyprus and the uneven pace of change The discussion also turned to Cyprus and how the local business environment is responding. There is a visible gap between individuals and organisations. People are adopting AI tools quickly in their daily lives, experimenting and learning at speed. Businesses, however, are moving more cautiously, often testing rather than fully integrating. Ahmad El Husseini emphasised that this is not only a question of interest, but of readiness. He said that, “AI should be accompanied with infrastructure building of environment and background and adaptation.” In other words, adoption alone is not enough. Real change requires systems, processes, and organisational readiness. Without that foundation, technology remains fragmented rather than transformative. What will matter most in the next ten years Looking ahead five to ten years, he identified one factor as particularly important for competitiveness: globalisation. “The most important factor will be the globalisation of products and services,” he said. This reflects a shift where companies will no longer compete only within local or regional markets. Instead, they will increasingly face global competitors who can scale quickly and operate digitally across borders. For Cyprus, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Businesses will need to think beyond domestic markets and consider how their services can exist in a global environment. Balancing opportunity with limits Ahmad El Husseini emphasised that AI must be integrated into business in a structured and realistic way. It should support daily operations and systems, not replace their foundations. He described AI as a tool that can add value through speed, information, and efficiency. However, it must work alongside strong human effort, clear processes, and adaptable management. He also pointed to a key risk: over expectation. In his view, AI can sometimes create the impression that it solves more than it does. Businesses may assume that faster outputs automatically equal better decisions, when the underlying human judgment remains essential. The challenge is therefore not only technological. It is organisational and human. A closing thought What emerges from this conversation is not a prediction but a snapshot of transition. Consulting is changing. Decision making is changing. Even the relationship between data and judgment is being reshaped. Yet none of these shifts are absolute or complete. The future described by Ahmad El Husseini is neither fully automated nor fully traditional. It is a hybrid space where human experience and artificial intelligence coexist, sometimes smoothly and sometimes uneasily. For Cyprus and for businesses more broadly, the message is subtle but important. The question is not whether AI will be part of the future. It already is. The real question is how wisely it will be used, and whether organisations can preserve depth of judgment while everything around them becomes faster.