Qatar’s unique mix of digital infrastructure, young demographics, and high-income economy could allow it to skip traditional e-commerce stages and move directly into agentic AI-driven retail, according to a top official of LuLu Group.
“Many people believe that concepts like agentic technology are new and will become widely accepted. However, I feel that’s not the case; technology has always existed. Today, it’s more about a country’s readiness to embrace it,” stated LuLu Group Global director Dr Mohamed Althaf.
“This is where Qatar stands out from other nations. Given its size, geography, and the focus of its economy, Qatar is well-positioned to implement these technologies effectively. As a result, they can potentially leapfrog many steps that other countries might have to take to adopt agentic solutions,” Dr Althaf told Gulf Times.
Speaking about payment gateways leading the way, Dr Althaf said that, unlike other markets where payment systems lag behind commerce adoption, Qatar is prioritising agentic payment gateways first. He emphasised that “there is much discussion about making agentic pay available from Qatar” and that trust infrastructure is being prioritised by authorities in Qatar.
Dr Althaf also underscored that while readiness is high, “cybersecurity will determine the pace of adoption.” He explained, “If I leave my system open for 100 bots to crawl, the readiness must be from a cybersecurity point of view.” Speaking about efficiency versus human oversight, Dr Althaf pointed out that agentic retail could become “ruthless,” with bots always choosing the cheapest option. He noted that LuLu’s counter-strategy is to keep the “Human-in-the-Loop” (HITL) framework in mind.
“Whatever we do, we will keep the human element, so that nothing gets done on its own,” he further explained. Dr Althaf stated that retailers rarely invent technology but are the ones that are quick to adopt it once proven, citing barcodes and QR codes.
According to Dr Althaf, LuLu is looking to implement agentic AI first in back-end processes — receiving, logistics, and B2B events — before rolling it out to customers. “Our priority will not be in the customer-facing aspect…we will get into the agentic space much faster in B2B,” Dr Althaf said.
Dr Althaf shared lessons from past hype cycles, comparing agentic retail to blockchain and the metaverse — technologies, he noted, “promised revolutions but delivered unevenly.”
“Even if agentic commerce will not happen as we envisage, the backbone of that technology will definitely impact our lives,” he said.
