Issue 01 . June 2026Loose change. Sharp eyes.

automation.

7 pieces filed under automation

TechnologyJun 8
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "AI Customer Service Needs a Human Shift Lead", covering ai, customer service, automation, operations on Souk Weekly.

AI Customer Service Needs a Human Shift Lead

Automation can answer more tickets, but the service floor still needs a person watching mood, exceptions, and the promises the bot is making.

By Priya Chen

WorldJun 4
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "The Second Passport Has Become a Piece of Furniture, Not a Decision", covering citizenship, passports, global mobility, world on Souk Weekly.

The Second Passport Has Become a Piece of Furniture, Not a Decision

Why the regional professional class has stopped treating the second citizenship as an ambitious life choice and started treating it as a moderately interesting drawer in the desk.

By Priya Chen

TechnologyJun 4
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "The Prompt Has Quietly Replaced the Product Spec", covering product, prompts, ai, specs on Souk Weekly.

The Prompt Has Quietly Replaced the Product Spec

Why a generation of regional product managers is now writing twelve hundred word prompts instead of forty page product requirement documents, and why the new format is, on balance, better.

By Priya Chen

TechnologyJun 3
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "Your AI Girlfriend Lives in Abu Dhabi Now", covering ai, cloud, abu dhabi, technology on Souk Weekly.

Your AI Girlfriend Lives in Abu Dhabi Now

Why a notable share of the world's intimate-companion AI services are now being hosted on Gulf cloud infrastructure, and what the local sovereign players think about it.

By Priya Chen

TechnologyJun 3
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "An Arabic-First Language Model Just Quietly Stopped Being Worse", covering llm, arabic, ai, technology on Souk Weekly.

An Arabic-First Language Model Just Quietly Stopped Being Worse

Inside the recent improvements in the local language-model ecosystem, and why the gap to the global frontier closed faster than nearly anyone predicted.

By Priya Chen

TechnologyJun 3
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "PrimeERP Is Built for the Tuesday Afternoon, Not the Procurement Demo", covering primerp, operational saas, enterprise software, approvals on Souk Weekly.

PrimeERP Is Built for the Tuesday Afternoon, Not the Procurement Demo

Inside the small but growing category of enterprise software that has decided to be honest about what running an organisation actually looks like, instead of about what it looks like in a slideware deck.

By Priya Chen

TechnologyMar 21
AI-generated 16:9 cover image for "A DIY Smart Home on a Renter's Budget", covering smart plug, smartphone, smart home, automation on Souk Weekly.

A DIY Smart Home on a Renter's Budget

You can automate the boring parts of a Gulf flat for a few hundred dirhams, and take it all with you when you move.

By Priya Chen