In years past, digital wealth was mostly made from advertising, e-commerce and smartphones. Today the game has moved to another level. Companies like Nvidia, Oracle, Meta, Google, and Microsoft are no longer valued solely on their current profits, but also on their position in the AI race. Therefore, the shares of these companies turned into a huge machine for producing paper wealth, and the fortunes of founders, managers, and investors increased simply because the market began to see artificial intelligence as “the oil of the new century.”
The UBS report for 2025 indicated that the wealth of technology sector billionaires rose by 23.8%, or about $583.5 billion, to reach $3 trillion. This number alone explains why artificial intelligence has become a direct gateway to the billionaire club. It is no longer required to have a huge factory or a global network of stores; Sometimes it is enough to own a software company, an AI model, a data platform, or a stake in a chip company that controls the infrastructure of the new era. Money is flowing at an unprecedented speed. According to the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Index, private investment in artificial intelligence within the United States reached $109.1 billion in 2024, while generative artificial intelligence alone attracted $33.9 billion globally. Also, 78% of organizations said that they will use artificial intelligence in 2024, after the percentage was 55% one year ago. This means that the market is no longer testing technology from afar, but is starting to integrate it into business, sales, customer service, programming, marketing, design, and financial analysis.
The boom does not stop at programs. Infrastructure itself has become a billion-dollar industry. Estimates showed that global spending on artificial intelligence architecture reached $318 billion in 2025, more than double the level of 2024. Global spending on artificial intelligence is expected to reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, an increase of 44% year-on-year.
But this rise does not mean that everyone who uses artificial intelligence will become a billionaire. The real difference is in ownership. The average user wins time, the small company reduces costs, and the new billionaire owns the platform, data, infrastructure, or an early stake in a promising company. Hence, the gap between those who consume technology and those who own it expands.
For Lebanon, this transformation cannot be treated as a luxury. The country does not have stable electricity, extensive funding for startups, or a capital market capable of incubating large technology companies. The infrastructure crisis is still a major obstacle, and in 2025 Lebanon obtained a loan from the World Bank worth $250 million to address the electricity crisis, in a clear indication of the scale of the problem facing any real digital economy. However, the Lebanese opportunity is not non-existent. Lebanon does not need to build an imported version of “Silicon Valley,” nor does it need giant data centers that consume unavailable electricity. The most immediate opportunity is in light, high-value services: programming, model localization, data analysis, cybersecurity, solutions for banks and companies, tools for accounting, law, media, education, and health. These are sectors that the Lebanese can enter from small offices, or even remotely, if there is acceptable internet, serious training, and small financing channels that do not stifle ideas at the beginning.
However, there are indicators that can be built upon, as Lebanon has a young society, a skilled workforce, and an entrepreneurial culture, with an Internet penetration rate estimated at about 90%. In January 2026, the World Bank approved financing worth $150 million for the “Accelerating Digital Transformation” project in Lebanon, with the aim of improving government services, supporting a safer environment for business, and expanding companies and entrepreneurs’ access to digital opportunities.
The problem is that funding in Lebanon often comes late, is conditional, or is directed to public structures and not directly to startup companies. This leaves a dangerous gap, the most important of which is that Lebanon will continue to train talent and then export it to Dubai, Riyadh, Europe, and Canada.
