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This year’s Ramadan occurs during a period of unique economic uncertainty. Mounting geopolitical tensions and regional conflict are buffeting global supply chains, making commodity market prices increasingly difficult to predict. What hasn’t changed is that daily routines remain profoundly affected by the holy month. Retail occurs during narrow time segments, markets are relegated to evenings, and food preparation becomes more demanding and, quite often, wasteful.
Coupled with the above global landscape, these behavioral shifts turn Ramadan into a test of how efficiently and ethically consumption happens within society. Unsurprisingly, AI is playing an increasingly important supporting role in understanding key trends and patterns during this month of fasting, prayer, and reflection.
Abundance and Avoidable Waste
Ramadan has long meant more food in homes and greater hospitality. Despite Islam’s strong emphasis on moderation, a lavish buffet culture, bulk purchasing of food, and other customs capable of generating significant waste remain common. Excess during the holy month has both ethical and economic implications. The World Bank estimates that more than 150 million tonnes of food is wasted annually across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Food prepared but not eaten is thought to account for up to 50% of this troubling statistic. Reports from the United Nations Environmental Programme West Asia indicate that food waste spikes from 25% to 50% during Ramadan.
Yet food is only part of the story. From clothing and hospitality to travel and entertainment, consumption patterns across sectors tend to surge during Ramadan, driven by social gatherings, gifting traditions, and extended evening activity. Poor waste management costs the MENA region $60 billion per year while also contributing to resource depletion, landfill pressure, and unnecessary greenhouse emissions.
AI, Innovation, and Collective Action
With purchases often forced into pre-iftar hours and deliveries shifted to nighttime slots, retailers operate for only a few hours. During this time they are nevertheless expected to maintain high standards of quality, freshness, and availability. For this reason, Ramadan should not merely be perceived as a seasonal commercial event but also a stress test of economic coordination. It is within this context that AI is becoming increasingly central. In the GCC, major logistical providers and retailers are deploying machine learning models for the purpose of analyzing transaction data, loyalty programs and digital engagement in real time.
AI-driven forecasting assists in reducing spoilage caused by overstocking, optimizing delivery routes, aligning with actual consumption patterns, and helping businesses to achieve strategic data-driven optimization of their working capital, thereby increasing their financial stability and resilience. Yet it is not merely operational efficiency that influences the behavior of humans. If AI is to have a meaningful impact on consumers it must provide incentives for sustainable and conscious habits, as opposed to merely offering predictions.
Carbon labelling initiatives are an example of how data transparency can be used to alert consumers to the environmental impact of their choices. AI-powered platforms could suggest balanced portion sizes, provide reminders of previous purchases, or discourage over purchasing of perishables. Using technology to support moderation as opposed to excess aligns more closely with the ethical core of the holy month of Ramadan.
The confluence of Ramadan, consumer behavior, and AI exposes an important insight: human intentions can be amplified by technology. They can reinforce excess and disregard or encourage discipline and care. Used responsibly, machine intelligence can make systems more efficient, reduce waste, and reveal patterns that help families, businesses, and governments make better decisions. But technology is not a substitute for values, which must always operate within an ethical framework to ensure safe, prosperous, and healthy societies.
Professor Omneya Abdelsalam, is Professor of Ethical Finance and Sustainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s School of Economics and Management.