{
  "id": 3099734,
  "title": "UAE among 'most ambitious' AI markets, new report highlights",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/uae-among-most-ambitious-ai-markets-new-report-highlights-3099734",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-24T19:29:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2026/08/24/uae-ai-investments-report/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new report highlights the UAE as one of the most ambitious markets for artificial intelligence (AI), thanks to the country's strong governance and investment in the technology. ServiceNow, an enterprise software company, detailed its findings in the Enterprise AI Maturity Index, which shows that the UAE has made significant progress in AI adoption.\n\nSaif Mashat, vice president for the Middle East and Africa at ServiceNow, noted that the UAE's long-term strategy and regulatory leadership have given organizations a head start in leveraging AI. However, Mashat cautioned that it is not enough for entities to simply invest in AI; those leading the way are moving from AI pilots to AI orchestration, integrating legacy systems, data, governance, and AI agents within a single control tower.\n\nThe analysis revealed that the UAE's AI maturity score improved by 13 points. Many organizations are still struggling to layer AI onto fragmented technology environments, disconnected data, and siloed workflows. Agentic AI, which helps humans with repetitive tasks, remains an ongoing challenge for many businesses. Currently, 57% of UAE organizations have implemented agentic AI, but only 7% have utilized it to build autonomous workflows.\n\nMashat emphasized that, given the UAE government's efforts to create conditions for AI leadership, it is now primarily up to companies to ensure they progress beyond mere investment in the technology. The UAE continues to show optimism about AI, with expectations that AI will account for nearly one-fifth of total information technology budgets by 2027.\n\nThe UAE has been actively pursuing AI leadership for over a decade, diversifying its economy away from hydrocarbons. The country's enthusiasm for AI research has led to the creation of start-ups, partnerships, and investments from industry leaders such as Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI. Additionally, the UAE has formed a partnership with the US to develop an AI campus in Abu Dhabi, featuring 5GW of capacity for AI data centers.",
  "summary": "The UAE's governance and investment in AI have created ripe conditions for businesses to make the most of the technology, a report says. ServiceNow , the enterprise software company, detailed its latest findings about how businesses, organisations and enterprises are using AI in its Enterprise AI Maturity Index. “The UAE remains one of the world’s most ambitious AI markets and the government’s…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "UAE among 'most ambitious' AI markets, new report highlights",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/uae-among-most-ambitious-ai-markets-new-report-highlights",
        "published": "2026-08-24T19:29:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}