Artificial intelligence adoption among businesses in the United Arab Emirates has risen to 72 per cent from 53 per cent a year earlier, according to joint research released on 30 September by the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office and Amazon Web Services. The report, Unlocking the UAE's AI Potential 2026, was developed by the research firm Strand Partners and records 36 per cent year-on-year growth in enterprise adoption, placing the Emirates among the fastest-growing AI markets in the world.

Amazon Web Services said it is investing up to AED 20.1 billion, or $5.47 billion, in the AWS Middle East (UAE) Region through 2037, an outlay the company estimates will contribute AED 41 billion, or $11.16 billion, to national gross domestic product. The company said it is backing sovereign capabilities through a $1 billion investment with e&, and that the two organisations have launched the AWS UAE Sovereign Launchpad, endorsed by the UAE Cybersecurity Council. The provider also said it is training local talent through its AI Nation programme, which aims to reach 30,000 people across the country.

The study found that 85 per cent of businesses adopting artificial intelligence report a faster pace of digital change, and it sets out four priorities for sustaining momentum: responsible adoption on secure and scalable cloud infrastructure, regulation that enables rather than slows innovation, action on skills shortages, and wider access to funding for AI-first startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Dr Abdelrahman Al Mahmoud, a director at the UAE Artificial Intelligence Office, said the country's focus was on creating the right environment for organisations to innovate and scale, adding that the 72 per cent figure reflected a model built on turning ambition into action.