The chief executive of Gecko Robotics has said its partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is stronger than ever as the UAE continues to deal with attacks from Iran.
Jake Loosararian, co-founder and chief executive of Gecko, spoke about his company's continued confidence in the UAE amid the Israeli-US conflict with Iran.
“We believe strongly in the resiliency of the UAE, and Gecko believes the region will come back stronger from these challenging times,” he told The National at the Hill and Valley Forum this week in Washington.
At a round-table discussion, Mr Loosararian said the conflict showed how paramount the idea of readiness has become.
“It's extremely important that we as technology builders are building solutions that are useful today, not in five or 10 years,” he said.
In recent weeks, Gecko has announced a $71 million deal with the US Navy to help deploy AI and “robotics to assess and maintain the health of military assets”.
Mr Loosararian said some Middle East countries’ navies were not prepared for the current conflict.
“Readiness is very important and that's what we're focused on,” he said.
Founded in 2013, the US-based company combines advanced robotic technology with artificial intelligence software platforms to help organisations operate and maintain critical infrastructure.
In 2025, Adnoc and Gecko Robotics signed three deals to explore using robotics and AI across the oil major's operations to boost efficiency and train Emiratis.
Several years earlier, Gecko established an international headquarters in the UAE under the Ministry of Economy’s NextGen FDI programme.
“If there is anything we have learnt from the last couple weeks, it is that Abu Dhabi and the UAE are strong,” Mr Loosararian said. Gecko continues to have a team “hard at work” and the company “continues to work with Adnoc” every day, he added.
“Our partnership with Adnoc is not just important to Gecko but is a priority for global security,” he said.
Mr Loosararian said Adnoc is pushing harder than ever to use robotics and “lead an energy transformation” that will position the company well into the future.
Gecko is widely considered to be a leader in the robotics sector, and more specifically a significant player in creating robotic solutions capable of inspecting oil, gas and power infrastructure.
The robot and AI field is becoming incredibly competitive, but Mr Loosararian is more confident than ever in his company's ability to maintain its leading position.
“We focus on real deployments and delivering ROI [return on investment] for customers, not concepts and demos,” he said, apparently referring to other company's offerings.
