As AI adoption accelerates across the UAE, business leaders are banking on its potential to drive long-term growth. A new YouGov survey commissioned by SAP reveals that 94 per cent of enterprises in the country believe AI will be a key driver of business expansion, with nearly half (49 per cent) expecting significant returns on AI investments within the next one to two years.
This optimism was on full display at this month’s SAP NOW AI Tour held in the UAE, where more than 1,500 industry experts, public sector leaders, and business executives gathered at the Dubai Expo Centre to explore AI’s transformative potential across industries.
“AI is already delivering tangible business value, and the UAE market is clearly ready to embrace its potential,” said Marwan Zeineddine, Managing Director of SAP UAE. “The SAP survey shows that businesses recognise AI as a key driver of growth, but unlocking its full value requires the right strategies. The SAP NOW AI Tour was designed to help organisations navigate this journey, providing the insights and tools they need to leverage the full power of AI to meet their specific needs.”
The SAP survey findings reflect this momentum, with 97 per cent of the UAE IT decision-makers surveyed expressing confidence in using AI-driven insights to guide critical business decisions, and with 72 per cent describing themselves as “very confident” in doing so.
Real-world AI applications for business
As AI adoption rises, UAE businesses are looking beyond experimentation and focusing on real-world applications that drive measurable impact. Attendees at the SAP event explored the company’s latest advancements in business AI, including agentic AI, which enables autonomous decision-making and execution of complex tasks.
SAP also showcased its collaboration with Databricks through the SAP Business Data Cloud, highlighting how organisations can eliminate data silos and extract deeper insights from structured and unstructured data. With the survey showing that 58 per cent of UAE enterprises plan to invest in data consolidation and quality improvement programmes over the next 12 months, the event underscored the growing need for businesses to refine their data strategies to fully harness AI’s potential.
This focus on data was of particular interest to businesses that are increasingly looking to use industry-specific AI solutions, with 76 per cent of enterprises in the UAE using AI-driven solutions that have been tailored specifically for their industry, according to the SAP survey.
Sharing customer AI successes
The SAP AI Tour also saw several signing ceremonies and deployment announcements, including innovative implementations at Al Futtaim and Al Ghurair Iron & Steel (AGIS) that demonstrate how AI can revolutionise business processes.
“Our recent collaboration with SAP has enabled us to reimagine how we approach sustainability and operational efficiency,” said B.S. Shetty, General Manager of AGIS. “By deploying RISE with SAP Private Cloud edition alongside a tailored SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) solution, we’ve harnessed the power of AI to automate over 400 calculations, cutting operator time from 20 minutes to just three. Efficient user interfaces have simplified the planning and manufacturing functions at the shopfloor. This end-to-end integration, from customers to manufacturing, empowers our teams with real-time insights, supports accurate ESG reporting, and aligns seamlessly with the UAE’s National Framework for Sustainable Development. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and excited to keep pushing boundaries with Business AI and data-driven innovation.”
Al-Futtaim Group’s Chief Technology Officer, Himanshu Shrivastava, said, “At Al-Futtaim, we’re committed to adopting technologies that enable our people to work more effectively and deliver exceptional employee experience; SAP SuccessFactors with Joule is helping us do just that. As one of the first organisations in the region to go live with this generative AI-powered capability, we’ve been able to personalise the employee experience like never before. Whether it’s helping managers make faster talent decisions or guiding employees through everyday HR tasks with natural, conversational support, Joule is transforming how our people engage with HR — intuitively, intelligently, and at their convenience.”
SAP’s AI-driven solutions also support the UAE’s national AI strategy, which aims to position the country as a global hub for AI innovation. The technology company is also participating in the Machines Can See 2025 event as part of Dubai’s AI Week that is currently under way.
