Deloitte says UAE businesses are moving AI into core enterprise strategy
Artificial intelligence is becoming a central business priority for companies across the UAE, as organisations move beyond pilot projects and focus on enterprise-wide adoption. However, Deloitte Middle East says many businesses still face significant execution challenges despite rising investment and strong government support.
- Deloitte says UAE businesses are moving AI into core enterprise strategy
- AI investment rises, but business returns remain limited
- Workforce upskilling becomes a higher priority than hiring
- Agentic AI creates new opportunities and governance challenges
- Fragmented AI adoption could slow enterprise transformation
- Organisations must move beyond pilots to achieve competitive advantage
- Deloitte sees execution as the next stage of UAE’s AI journey
According to Aditi Nitin, Partner and AI & Data Leader at Deloitte Middle East, AI has evolved from an experimental technology into a boardroom priority. She said business leaders are now focused on redesigning their organisations around AI while ensuring responsible and secure deployment.
“AI has moved from the innovation lab to the boardroom. CEOs are no longer asking where to pilot AI. Instead, they are asking how to redesign the enterprise around AI safely, responsibly and at scale,” Nitin said.
AI investment rises, but business returns remain limited
Deloitte’s latest UAE AI research shows that companies continue to increase spending on artificial intelligence. The findings reveal that 90% of business leaders are increasing AI investments, while 84% expect AI to generate revenue growth.
However, only 16% of organisations currently report measurable revenue gains from their AI initiatives.
Nitin said this gap exists because many organisations focus on deploying technology rather than redesigning business processes around clear commercial outcomes. As a result, AI investments often fail to deliver enterprise-wide value.
Workforce upskilling becomes a higher priority than hiring
Deloitte’s research also highlights a shift in talent strategy across the region.
Instead of relying mainly on specialist recruitment, organisations are investing in existing employees. The study found that:
- 61% of organisations are investing in workforce reskilling
- 51% are improving AI literacy across employees
- 30% are prioritising hiring specialised AI talent
According to Nitin, organisations cannot unlock AI’s full value if expertise remains limited to small technical teams. Instead, businesses must integrate AI into everyday workflows and decision-making across departments.
Agentic AI creates new opportunities and governance challenges
Dubai is also accelerating adoption of agentic AI, which refers to systems capable of making semi-autonomous decisions.
While Nitin believes the UAE is well positioned to benefit from this next phase of AI, she warned that organisations must strengthen their technology foundations first.
She said successful deployment will depend on stronger data quality, governance frameworks, cloud infrastructure, interoperability and human oversight.
Without these foundations, businesses may struggle to scale advanced AI safely and effectively.
Fragmented AI adoption could slow enterprise transformation
Deloitte also warned that organisations risk duplicating investments as different business units launch AI projects independently.
According to Nitin, companies should now focus on coordinated and interoperable AI strategies instead of isolated deployments. A unified approach will help organisations maximise returns while avoiding operational inefficiencies.
Organisations must move beyond pilots to achieve competitive advantage
The research indicates that many companies are still in the early stages of AI transformation.
Deloitte found that:
- 71% of organisations have not redesigned employee roles around AI
- Only 17% of non-technical workers describe themselves as highly enthusiastic AI users
These findings suggest that workforce adoption remains one of the biggest barriers to large-scale implementation.
Nitin said organisations that successfully industrialise AI will outperform competitors by combining trusted data, strong governance and measurable business outcomes.
Deloitte sees execution as the next stage of UAE’s AI journey
The UAE continues to strengthen its position as one of the region’s leading AI markets through government initiatives and growing private-sector investment.
However, Deloitte believes the next phase will depend less on technology adoption and more on disciplined execution. Companies that successfully embed AI into daily operations, redesign business processes and prepare their workforce are expected to generate stronger long-term returns than those that remain focused on isolated pilots.
