AI-First Creativity in the UAE: Skills, Teams, and Ethics for the Next Wave of Jobs

What creatives need to know about the next wave of jobs

Core42, a G42 company, has introduced a new kind of role to the region: AI Creative Director. Diego Flórez sits in that seat, and his path tells you where the work is going-computer engineering to industrial design to advertising, back to tech. Hybrid skills are the new baseline. If you create for a living, this is your signal to expand your range.

Laying the foundations for an AI-first brand

The first job is building foundations. Scalable creative systems. AI tools wired into daily workflows. Storytelling that keeps pace with model updates and audience expectations. It's structure first, then speed, then scale.

This is happening as the UAE grows into a major AI hub with sovereign cloud platforms, high-performance compute, and regional model initiatives such as Jais and Falcon. That growth creates demand for creative systems that help people understand, trust, and use AI. For regional talent, it's an opening to work on projects with global reach.

What the AI Creative Director actually does

The role embeds generative AI into communications and content. Think: fast-cycle production at scale, but still on brand. Templates, prompts, style guides, and feedback loops that keep quality high while output ramps up.

It also means mentoring AI-fluent creatives, building small hybrid teams, and setting rules for what gets automated and what stays human. The goal is simple: combine speed and consistency with storytelling that feels alive.

Practical takeaways for creatives

• Learn promptcraft. Treat it like a language. Test, iterate, and document what works. If you want a head start, explore focused training on prompts here: Prompt Courses.
• Study the scene. Follow AI artists, listen to solid podcasts, track launches, and test tools as they drop. Build your own reference library and keep it fresh.
• Get the basics of AI infrastructure. You don't need to code, but you should know how data, models, and compute affect quality, cost, and feasibility. It will make your ideas sharper and your proposals realistic.
• Work in multidisciplinary crews. The copywriter-art director duo is outdated. With the right tools, both write and design. Bring in engineers and data folks when needed. Small, hybrid teams will win the best briefs.
• Measure and refine. Treat AI like any other creative process: draft, test, polish. Check for brand consistency, creative quality, and audience response. Feed the learnings back into your system.
• Stay ethical and human-first. Credit people. Hire fairly. Be transparent about AI use. Let the tools expand opportunities, not replace them.

Creativity with people at the center

AI is strong, but people give it direction. Behind every prompt, visual, and message, there's a team making judgment calls. The point isn't to replace creativity. It's to amplify it with better tools, clearer systems, and faster iteration.

A regional shift is underway

This is bigger than one company. Across the UAE, AI is opening new career paths and new modes of collaboration. Small, flexible teams will do work that used to require big budgets and long timelines.

If you're a creative in the region, lean in. Build hybrid skills. Ship real work with AI. Don't get left behind.

Want structured ways to upskill by role and toolset? Explore curated paths here: Courses by Job.