A recent report by technology company Dataiku reveals that nearly 75% of companies and organizations in the UAE have maintained or increased their investment in artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives. This figure places the UAE ahead of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, which recorded a 69% investment rate. The report also highlights that 98% of UAE businesses view AI as a significant enabler for resilience in the current economic climate, compared to 95% in the EMEA region.
The study, conducted by New York-based Dataiku and surveying IT decision-makers in the EMEA region, further indicates that 68% of UAE organizations allocate up to half of their technology budgets to AI. Sid Bhatia, the Regional Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East and Turkey at Dataiku, emphasizes that UAE enterprises prioritize gaining a competitive advantage and enhancing customer experiences, which aligns with their strong commitment to AI adoption.
AI is expected to have a substantial impact on the technology ecosystem in the Middle East and North Africa region. A recent study by Magnitt projects that the UAE will experience the greatest impact, with AI contributing close to 14% of its gross domestic product by 2030. The UAE has been at the forefront of AI adoption, with the government launching the UAE 2031 AI strategy in 2017, outlining plans to leverage AI for improved governance and transformation across various sectors.
The top three business objectives that UAE organizations aim to achieve through AI include innovation (64%), competitive advantage (56%), and enhanced customer experiences (54%). Dataiku’s report also highlights that 92% of respondents in the UAE utilize low-code or no-code development platforms to make AI more accessible to business users and automate decision-making processes.
Sid Bhatia emphasizes the importance of democratizing AI to fully harness its value and achieve business goals. Platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, which provide human-like responses and generative AI capabilities, are cited as examples of democratizing AI. The report notes Microsoft’s introduction of its AI-powered Bing search engine, designed to deliver improved search results, comprehensive answers, interactive chat features, and content generation.
Overall, the findings demonstrate the UAE’s strong commitment to AI investment and highlight the potential for AI to drive innovation, competitive advantage, and enhanced customer experiences in the country.
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