Roar AI by Roar Global will be the National AI Gateway Partner for Sri Lanka AI Week 2026, the country’s premier national platform for artificial intelligence, taking place from 25 to 30 September in Colombo.

Pioneered by the Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL, Sri Lanka AI Week brings together global technology leaders, policymakers, enterprises, start-ups, developers and emerging talent to accelerate AI adoption, innovation and investment in the country.

The week-long programme includes the AI Hackathon, AI Leaders’ Night, a two-day AI Conference and Exhibition, and the National AI Awards. As the National AI Gateway Partner, Roar AI will support the programme’s wider ambition to move Sri Lanka’s AI conversation from awareness to meaningful adoption.

Roar AI is a locally supported AI gateway designed to give organisations and developers streamlined access to leading global AI models through a single platform. The solution addresses several practical barriers affecting AI adoption in emerging markets, including fragmented access to different models, foreign-currency payments, limited local technical support and the need for stronger governance and cost control.

Through unified model access, local currency billing, local deployment, configurable guardrails and locally available expertise, Roar AI enables businesses to explore, build and scale AI solutions with greater visibility and control.

“AI has opened up new possibilities for businesses, products and services to emerge from Sri Lanka. But adoption cannot be accelerated through access and awareness alone. Businesses, developers and young innovators need practical guidance and the right infrastructure to experiment, build and deploy responsibly,” said Mustafa Kassim, Founder and CEO of Roar Global. “Our role as National AI Gateway Partner reflects our commitment to making world-class AI capabilities more usable in Sri Lanka and clearing the path from AI ambition to implementation.”

The partnership comes as organisations across Sri Lanka increasingly seek to incorporate AI into products, customer experiences and internal operations. However, access to technology remains only one part of the challenge. Sustainable adoption also requires reliable infrastructure, appropriate governance, implementation expertise and solutions suited to local commercial realities.

Roar AI was developed to help close this gap by creating a more practical entry point into the global AI ecosystem. Instead of requiring organisations to manage multiple providers, payment structures and technical environments independently, the gateway consolidates access and management through one locally supported platform.

Throughout Sri Lanka AI Week, Roar AI will engage with enterprises, technology teams, founders, developers and students exploring real-world AI applications. Its participation will demonstrate how accessible infrastructure can help transform AI ideas into working products, operational improvements and scalable new ventures.

“Being part of Sri Lanka AI Week is an opportunity to contribute to a much larger national objective,” says Mustafa Kassim. “Sri Lanka has the talent and ambition to participate meaningfully in the global AI economy. What is needed now is an ecosystem that gives people the tools, infrastructure and confidence to build from here.”

Sri Lanka AI Week 2026 will take place from 25 to 30 September in Colombo. Its principal events include the AI Hackathon on 25 September, AI Leaders Night on 28 September, the AI Conference and National AI Expo on 29 and 30 September, and the National AI Awards on 30 September.

Roar AI

Roar AI by Roar Global is a locally supported AI gateway that provides businesses and developers with streamlined access to leading global AI models through a single platform. With local currency billing, governance controls, technical support and infrastructure designed for organisational use, Roar AI helps enterprises, start-ups and builders adopt and scale AI with greater simplicity, visibility and control.

Roar Global

Roar Global is an AI-led venture builder operating across artificial intelligence, platform advertising, content and creator technology. Founded in Sri Lanka and with a growing presence across the Asia-Pacific region, Roar Global builds and scales technology-enabled ventures designed to address the needs of emerging and international markets. Its portfolio includes Roar AI, BrandRadar, Apex AI, Roar AdX, 3P Media, CreatorFlow and Obsidian.

Sri Lanka AI Week 2026

Sri Lanka AI Week 2026 is the country’s premier national platform for AI innovation, industry and talent. Pioneered by the Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-MOBITEL, the programme brings together global AI leaders, government representatives, policymakers, enterprises, innovators and emerging talent to accelerate AI adoption, innovation and investment in Sri Lanka.

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The ITF International Transport Workers’ Federation, in partnership with the National Union of Seafarers of Sri Lanka (NUSS), proudly announces a ground-breaking conference on artificial intelligence, to be held in Colombo.

This landmark event marks the ITF’s first AI-focused conference worldwide and the first of its kind to be hosted in Sri Lanka, underscoring ITF’s commitment to advancing technology, safety, and sustainable practice across the global transport sector.

The ITF is a global federation representing seafarers, dockworkers, and other transport workers, with a membership base exceeding 8 million workers across more than 150 countries.

This event will bring together leading voices from labour, industry, and technology to explore AI’s impact on safety, operations, workforce development, and governance.

Key highlights and objectives:

Global collaboration on AI ethics and safety: Establish guiding principles for AI deployment that protect workers’ rights, privacy, and safety at sea and on land.

Workforce development and training: Share best practices for upskilling and reskilling seafarers and transport workers to thrive in an AI-enabled environment.

Operational efficiency and safety: Examine AI-driven solutions for routing, logistics, maintenance, and safety monitoring while ensuring robust human oversight.

Policy and governance: Promote inclusive policy frameworks that balance innovation with social protection and fair labour standards.

Networking and partnership opportunities: Foster cross-border collaboration among unions, employers, technology providers, and policymakers.

Organized under the auspices of ITF and hosted by NUSS, the conference will feature keynote addresses from international labour leaders, technical sessions, and panels addressing the practical implications of AI adoption in maritime and transport sectors.

Attendees will include ITF affiliates, maritime unions, port and logistics operators, technology developers, and regulators committed to shaping a worker-cantered AI future.

Quotes:

“This conference represents a monumental moment in time as AI emerges as a key part of current and future life, as we know it. NUSS is honoured to host this historic event in Colombo, reinforcing our pivotal role in global seafaring and transport.” — CEO Mr. Boa Athu, National Union of Seafarers Asia Pacific.

“AI offers transformative potential when guided by strong social dialogue, equitable access to training, and robust safeguards for governance.” he further added.

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Roar Global has introduced Roar AI, Sri Lanka’s first AI gateway, giving developers, startups and businesses access to more than 200 leading frontier and open-source AI models through a single platform.

Built in Sri Lanka, Roar AI is designed to address some of the practical barriers organisations face when building with artificial intelligence – from fragmented access to multiple models and complex international payments to application hosting, cost management and data governance.

Through a single integration, Roar AI users can access and build with a wide range of global AI models such as Anthropic, Gemini, Perplexity, Llama, DeepSeek and Kimi – choosing the right model for each application or workload without having to manage multiple platforms, accounts and billing relationships.

Beyond model access, Roar AI provides the infrastructure needed to deploy and operate AI applications, including locally hosted applications, integrated databases, transactional email and automated backups. The platform also incorporates usage controls, budgets and guardrails to help organisations manage how AI is accessed and used across their teams.

Billing in Sri Lankan rupees gives local businesses greater predictability and control over AI expenditure, while local infrastructure and engineering support provide a closer-to-home option for organisations looking to build and operate AI applications.

“AI adoption should not be limited by where a business is based or by how easily it can access global infrastructure,” said Mustafa Kassim, Founder and CEO of Roar Global. “We built Roar AI to bring the world’s leading AI capabilities closer to Sri Lankan builders and businesses, together with the infrastructure and local expertise they need to turn those capabilities into real products.”

Roar AI is not a standalone AI application or chatbot. It acts as an infrastructure layer that allows developers to connect AI models to their own products, platforms and workflows. This gives teams the flexibility to experiment with different models, optimise for performance and cost, and scale their AI capabilities through one locally supported platform.

The launch reflects Roar Global’s broader evolution from a digital media and platform consultancy into a venture-building group operating across AI, technology platforms and the creator economy. The Group has made significant investments in AI-led innovation, with its teams already processing more than 10 billion AI tokens across the products, applications and workflows it has built.

Roar AI also represents a wider commitment to strengthening Sri Lanka’s participation in the global AI economy. By making advanced AI infrastructure easier to access locally, Roar aims to help developers, entrepreneurs and enterprises move beyond experimenting with individual AI tools and towards building scalable products and businesses with AI at their core.

“We don’t want Sri Lanka to simply be a market that consumes AI products built elsewhere,” Mustafa added. “We want Sri Lankan developers and businesses to have the infrastructure to build those products here and take them to the world.”

Roar AI is currently being introduced to selected builders and early adopters in Sri Lanka. Developers, startups and organisations interested in gaining early access can apply at roar-ai.com/early-access.

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The OpenAI Partner Network is a global program for partners to build, sell, and deliver AI solutions with OpenAI. It brings together partners with deep industry expertise, delivery capabilities, and customer relationships while equipping them with resources, enablement, and support to help enterprises adopt OpenAI frontier models and products and turn them into measurable impact.

As an OpenAI Select Partner, Roar Global will continue working with OpenAI to help organizations build, deploy, and scale AI solutions responsibly and effectively. This work will help organizations get more useful work from every token and stronger performance per dollar with GPT‑5.6, while using ChatGPT Work to turn ambitious goals into finished work. Roar Global combines deep expertise across platform advertising, the creator economy and enterprise AI integration within a single group. From driving growth across the world’s leading digital platforms to building AI infrastructure, automation and enterprise solutions, the Company helps businesses translate emerging technology into measurable commercial advantage.

“Being named an OpenAI Select Partner recognises the execution capability our teams already bring to clients across digital platforms, content and AI-led growth. It also marks an important step in our ambition to become a trusted infrastructure and integration partner for enterprises adopting AI across Sri Lanka and the wider Asia-Pacific region. This partnership strengthens our ability to turn that ambition into meaningful business outcomes,” said Mustafa Kassim, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roar Global.

Roar Global is a B2B technology and capability group supporting organisations across key industries, including retail, banking and financial services, automotive and hospitality. Operating across six markets in Asia, Australia and South Africa, the Group delivers its capabilities through five specialised subsidiaries. Its work spans managed advertising services across Meta, TikTok and Google; AI visibility and Answer Engine Optimisation solutions for brand growth; enterprise AI automation and integration for Australian businesses; and the operation of one of Australia’s fastest-growing UGC platforms.

Looking ahead, Roar Global plans to expand its OpenAI-related offerings, invest in talent and enablement, strengthen the infrastructure required for enterprise AI integration, and deploy AI capabilities that help customers translate ambition into tangible business outcomes.

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Authored by – Kousheyee Ghosh – EY GDS Consulting Business Transformation and Client Support Services Leader

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally altering project management in industries worldwide, and Sri Lanka is no exception.

Manual activities such as project planning and static reporting are now being automated using AI. Smart planning, proactive risk identification, real-time reporting, and intelligent resource management are driving efficiency, precision, and innovation across practically all industries.

The areas in project management, where AI is being used extensively, are resource allocation and planning, predicting outcomes and risks, reporting and scheduling, and cost estimation and quality control. Although adoption is in the early stages, awareness and experimentation are growing among professionals.

Sri Lanka has outlined a comprehensive national strategy to leverage AI for economic transformation, public service enhancement, and global competitiveness. Led by the Presidential Secretariat and developed by the Committee on Formulating a Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (CFSAI), the plan includes a five-year roadmap aligned with Digital Strategy 2030.

Key initiatives under the strategy include the establishment of a National AI Centre, an LKR 1.5 billion budget allocation for early AI adoption, and cross sectoral collaboration involving academia, industry, and other sectors with adoption in BFSI, telecommunications, construction, and IT services.

The strategy emphasizes ethical AI deployment, data governance, skills development, and sectoral integration particularly in health, agriculture, education, and public administration to position Sri Lanka as a regional leader in responsible AI innovation.

Moreover, AI has now become essential to make project management more agile and resilient. Teams are often unaware when a disruption may happen or how swiftly industry trends may change. Quickly adapting to changes, the AI shift is improving operational efficiency and the quality of customer service and support.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), organizations that fully leverage AI are 30% more likely to deliver on time and 23% are anticipated to exceed their ROI goals. Today, AI is not just an enhancement; it is assisting project managers in driving efficiency and innovation, automating complex processes, providing predictive insights, and enabling real-time collaboration.

Analysis of vast datasets, from client financials to market trends, is a critical process in project management. Traditional methods are slow and prone to human error. A single incorrect decision or insight can derail progress and delay delivery by months.

Organizations such as EY GDS Sri Lanka are implementing AI-powered systems to help teams identify anomalies in financial transactions or anticipate market shifts. Based on fresh streams of data and calculated insights, teams can make decisive decisions in real time and provide data backed recommendations with speed and accuracy, elevating the overall client experience.

Business requirements documents and meeting notes are key but time consuming. Generative AI excels in accuracy, consistency, and detail. It can evaluate and extract information from client discussions, user inputs, and market trends, combining disconnected information into structured and actionable documents.

In Sri Lanka’s consulting and IT services sector, where documentation is often a bottleneck, generative AI is helping firms accelerate delivery cycles, maintaining compliance and precision.

Software development cycles require collaboration from stakeholders, which increases the risk of misalignment. AI-powered tools bridge these gaps, automating repetitive tasks such as code generation, review, and testing. Gartner predicts by 2028, 75% of enterprise software engineers will adopt AI coding assistants, highlighting the growing impact of these technologies.

Sri Lanka is forecasting USD 20 billion in total export earnings for 2026, marking a 10% year-on-year growth. A total of USD 15.7 billion is projected from merchandise exports, and USD 4.3 billion is expected from services exports. The Export Development Board (EDB) has highlighted services such as ICT, logistics, and tourism as critical drivers of this growth, with ICT identified as a leading contributor.

Moreover, Sri Lanka has set a national target of USD 36 billion in exports by 2030, with USD 11 billion projected from services alone. It highlights the strategic role of the IT and BPM sector in diversifying the country’s export portfolio and strengthening its competitiveness in the global digital economy. For the IT industry, the growth signals strong growth opportunities, as ICT services are increasingly recognized as a pillar of export-led development, complementing traditional sectors like apparel and tea.

A Harvard Business Review study found organizations integrating AI with human expertise achieve higher performance metrics compared with those relying exclusively on one or the other. Though AI can process data or automate documentation, interpreting results and tailoring insights to specific client scenarios requires deep industry knowledge.

Human-AI partnership guarantees that automation does not compromise personalized, high-quality service. In Sri Lanka, where client relationships are deeply valued, the balance is essential to sustaining trust and long-term partnerships.

Sri Lanka’s AI market is poised for rapid growth, with strong government backing and industry adoption. The country launched a national push toward AI-driven growth, unveiled at the first National AI Expo and Conference 2025. The government’s reforms focus on embedding AI in multiple sectors.

Complementary initiatives include a unified cybersecurity strategy, expanded digital payments, and a national AI platform. By 2030, Sri Lanka aims to build a USD 15 billion digital economy, generate USD 5 billion in digital exports, and create a workforce of 200,000 skilled professionals, positioning AI as a central driver of economic transformation and global competitiveness.

Supporting this national plan, EY GDS Sri Lanka just completed four years in Sri Lanka as a leader in the consulting and assurance industries in February 2026. The milestone demonstrates the firm’s commitment to driving innovation and excellence in the region, aligning with Sri Lanka’s broader digital transformation journey.

As AI continues to evolve, its implementation in Sri Lanka’s project management landscape can further accelerate the country’s development, driving efficiency throughout industries and enabling faster execution of large-scale initiatives. In striking a balance between automation and expertise, organizations can ensure AI initiatives enhance rather than replace the human touch, guiding their service philosophy.

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.

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