UAE firms bullish on AI despite scarcity of talent and infrastructure

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.