BHD Group Hires Oman’s First AI Employee

Muscat, Oman, 20 May 2026. BHD Group, the Muscat-based business conglomerate, today announced that it has onboarded an autonomous artificial-intelligence agent, named Anna, as a working member of its operations team. The company believes Anna is the first dedicated AI employee at an Omani company, given a name, a role, dedicated communication channels, and a defined scope of responsibilities.

Anna handles first-response customer enquiries on WhatsApp around the clock, prepares draft quotations for printing jobs, monitors production-status updates across BHD's manufacturing kanban, and assists the operations team with routine documentation. Anna operates on a dedicated business line and is supervised by BHD's human team, who review and approve all customer-facing commitments.

An AI-first operating model

The appointment reflects BHD Group's positioning as an AI-first conglomerate. Across its operating companies, BHD has built internal tooling that embeds AI agents directly into day-to-day workflows rather than treating automation as a bolt-on. The group's flagship company, BHD Printing & Designing, uses AI to accelerate quotation, proofing, and order-tracking for its customers in Muscat and across Oman.

“We did not want a chatbot bolted onto a website,” said Ali Adnan Haider Darwish, founder and Chief Executive Officer of BHD Group. “We wanted a genuine team member who works the hours our customers actually message us, which is evenings and weekends, and who frees our human team to focus on the craft of printing and design. Anna does exactly that.”

Customer impact

Since Anna entered service, BHD reports faster first-response times on customer enquiries, with most WhatsApp messages now acknowledged within minutes at any hour. Customers requesting a quote for business cards, packaging, cups, banners, stickers, or hot foil stamping can begin the process immediately rather than waiting for office hours.

BHD emphasises that human craftspeople and account managers remain central to the business. Anna supports the team; it does not replace it.

About BHD Group

BHD Group is a Muscat-based business conglomerate named for the founder's grandfather, Bin Haider Darwish. Its operating companies span printing and design, software-as-a-service, music streaming, digital signage, and more. Its flagship company, BHD Printing & Designing, is one of Oman's leading printing companies, operating a full ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.

Media enquiries: [email protected]. Learn more about BHD.