UAE companies are pushing to implement AI in their business operations despite challenges in finding supporting talent and infrastructure, according to a press release citing the latest Cisco AI Readiness Index. Almost all surveyed companies (99%) report a management-driven urgency to implement AI, with 86% citing an 18-month window to demonstrate impact and 64% limiting it to one year. Currently, 64% of UAE firms have a strategy for deploying AI solutions.

More than a third (34%) of companies plan to allocate over 40% of their IT budgets to AI within the next 4-5 years, compared to 8% doing so today. Around 47% currently dedicate 10-30% of IT budgets to AI. Key investment areas include cybersecurity (45%), IT infrastructure (39%), data management (34%), and data analysis (33%).

Infrastructure gaps remain a critical hurdle. Only 14% of UAE organizations have the necessary GPUs to meet current and future AI demands, and 31% are equipped to secure data in AI models using encryption, audits, and continuous monitoring.

Talent shortages are another pressing issue, with just 37% of organizations rating their workforce as well-prepared for AI and 27% reporting a lack of in-house talent for successful deployment.

REMEMBER- Cooper Fitch’s latest employment index highlights talent shortages in the tech sector, while a LinkedIn survey identifies AI engineering as one of the UAE’s fastest-growing job categories.

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