A new global report has confirmed what many in the region already suspected: AI adoption in the UAE is accelerating at a pace that’s hard to ignore. According to ServiceNow’s 2026 Enterprise AI Maturity Index, the UAE recorded a 13-point improvement in its AI maturity score, placing it among the world’s most ambitious AI markets.
The index, compiled by ThoughtLab, surveyed roughly 4,500 executives and 2,000 employees across 19 countries. Within that global picture, the UAE stood out for how quickly organisations are moving from simply experimenting with AI to actually putting it to work.
A Strong Head Start, Built on Government Strategy
Saif Mashat, vice president for the Middle East and Africa at ServiceNow, pointed to years of consistent government direction as a key reason behind this progress. Long-term national strategy and clear regulation, he noted, have given local organisations a genuine advantage as AI adoption in the UAE continues to gather pace.
That said, having strong foundations isn’t the same as using them well. Mashat was clear that the businesses pulling ahead are the ones moving past isolated pilots and into full orchestration, connecting legacy systems, data, governance, and AI agents into one coordinated setup. In other words, enterprise AI only pays off when it’s properly integrated, not just switched on.
Agentic AI: Widely Adopted, Rarely Mastered
One of the more interesting findings involves agentic AI, tools designed to act on their own to handle repetitive, multi-step tasks. More than half of UAE organisations, 57 per cent, have already implemented agentic AI in some form. Yet only 7 per cent have gone further and used it to build genuinely autonomous workflows.
That gap says a lot about where AI adoption in the UAE currently stands: enthusiasm and access are high, but full-scale execution is still catching up. It’s a pattern seen elsewhere too, with global figures from the same report showing 59 per cent of organisations able to use agentic AI, while just 9 per cent have made real progress toward autonomous operations.
Budgets Reflect Real Confidence
Numbers around spending tell a similarly optimistic story. UAE organisations expect AI investment to account for almost one-fifth of total IT budgets by 2027. That’s a meaningful commitment, and it reflects a belief that the returns from enterprise AI are worth the upfront cost.
This growing AI investment isn’t happening in isolation. It’s backed by more than a decade of national effort to diversify the UAE economy away from hydrocarbons, with AI increasingly seen as a core part of that shift.
Big Partnerships, Bigger Infrastructure
The UAE’s approach to AI adoption has also been shaped by major international partnerships. The country has worked closely with global technology leaders including Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI, and has teamed up with the United States to build an AI campus in Abu Dhabi that will include 5 gigawatts of dedicated data centre capacity.
These aren’t small, symbolic moves. They represent serious infrastructure investment aimed at supporting enterprise AI at scale, not just for government use, but for the wider business community.
How the UAE Compares Globally
Set against the other 19 countries in the report, the UAE’s position looks even stronger. The report noted that France showed more resistance to AI overall, while employees in Saudi Arabia tended to be more cautious, largely due to rigid, risk-averse workplace cultures and disconnected systems.
By contrast, AI adoption in the UAE benefits from a workplace culture and regulatory environment that seem genuinely built to encourage experimentation, backed by an AI maturity index score that continues to climb year over year.
What This Means for UAE Businesses
For companies operating in the UAE, the message from this report is fairly direct: the groundwork has already been laid. Government policy, infrastructure, and market appetite are firmly in place. The real opportunity now lies in execution, connecting systems properly, using data well, and moving from pilot projects to genuine operational change.
Organisations that treat AI investment as a long-term capability, rather than a short-term experiment, are the ones most likely to benefit as AI adoption in the UAE continues to mature.
Looking Ahead
If current trends hold, AI adoption in the UAE is likely to keep climbing, supported by continued investment, strong partnerships, and a government strategy that has already proven effective at creating the right conditions. The next phase, as the report suggests, will be less about whether businesses adopt AI, and more about how well they actually use it.
The direction is clear, and the momentum behind AI adoption in the UAE shows no signs of slowing down.
It’s a trend worth paying attention to, and not just at the enterprise level. At Horizontal8, we have noticed the same shift playing out with businesses of all sizes, moving past basic AI tools and starting to ask how the technology can genuinely support day-to-day decisions and operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ServiceNow Enterprise AI Maturity Index?Â
It’s an annual report tracking how effectively organisations across 19 countries are adopting and using AI, based on a survey of around 4,500 executives and 2,000 employees.
How much has UAE AI maturity improved?Â
The UAE recorded a 13-point improvement in its overall AI maturity score compared to the previous assessment.
What is agentic AI, and how widely is it used in the UAE?Â
Agentic AI refers to systems that can independently handle multi-step tasks. In the UAE, 57 per cent of organisations have implemented it, though only 7 per cent use it for fully autonomous workflows.
How much are UAE organisations planning to invest in AI?Â
UAE organisations expect AI to make up nearly one-fifth of their total IT budgets by 2027.
Which global partners are supporting the UAE’s AI growth?Â
The UAE has partnered with major technology companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI, and is developing a large-scale AI campus in Abu Dhabi with the United States.