UAE embraces GenAI media content, West remains wary
Trust in AI gap widens between Gulf and Western markets
#UAE #media - An illuminating report from global research company YouGov reveals 62% of UAE residents now trust AI-generated news equally or more than human-created content, significantly outpacing global averages. The YouGov study found UAE's trust levels are substantially higher than Western markets, with only 37% of global respondents showing similar confidence in AI-generated news. According to the study, the UAE exceeds most of the world in positive sentiment about AI with 44% of respondents saying they were Optimistic or Excited by AI, compared with just 13% of all respondents in the United Kingdom or USA. Out of the 15 countries included in the survey, only India was more positive than the UAE ,registering 58% approval.
SO WHAT? - The UAE’s well-known sunny optimism about AI usage shines through in YouGov’s new report. Countless research survey’s have found business and government leaders to be positive about AI and, in general, business survey’s have found positive sentiment related to AI in the UAE. However, there are few detailed consumer studies about UAE sentiment, so this survey confirms that the country’s optimism extends to personal usage of AI and the use of AI to produce media content. The findings add weight to the argument that the UAE provides an ideal testbed to trial consumer AI products.
Global online research company YouGov has published a new consumer research report called Trust or Concern: Generative AI in the Media, which highlights the UAE’s mainly positive sentiment towards the use of GenAI in media, content and social media.
The YouGov research shows a remarkable 33% of UAE residents trust AI-generated news more than human-generated news, while 29% trust both equally, bringing the total positive trust rating to 62%.
Trust metrics reveal a striking regional divide, with UAE respondents showing significantly higher confidence in AI content compared to respondents in the UK and USA, where skepticism remains much higher.
The high trust correlates strongly with overall optimism about AI, with 44% of UAE respondents expressing positive sentiment about AI's increasing role in daily life over the next decade, compared to just 13% in the UK and USA.
Despite high trust levels, transparency remains crucial with 76% of UAE residents believing it's important for brands to disclose when content is generated by AI, consistent with global sentiment.
Cost savings and reduced human error are identified as the primary benefits UAE residents associate with AI-generated content, with 45% of Gen Z specifically citing error reduction as a key advantage.
UAE residents demonstrate remarkable comfort with AI-created media across formats, with 55% comfortable with AI-written articles, 54% accepting AI-generated video news, and 53% comfortable with AI-produced audio content.
Consumer engagement with AI extends beyond news, with 51% of UAE residents likely to engage with AI-generated influencers – among the highest globally alongside India (55%), Indonesia (48%), and Hong Kong (40%).
ZOOM OUT - The UAE's exceptional trust in AI-generated content reflects the nation's broader AI ambitions and the championing of AI by business and government leaders. As part of its UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, the country aims to become a global AI leader, with initiatives including the establishment of the world's first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in 2017. The past eight years of awareness initiatives, educational programmes and implementation across public and private sectors, seems to have helped create cultural openness to AI technologies. This stands in stark contrast to Western markets, where concerns about misinformation and authenticity continue to dominate public discourse around AI-generated content.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
DOWNLOAD
Read more about AI and the media:
UAE to develop AI to transform national media strategy (Middle East AI News)
New Dubai AI initiative to support Arab media with AI (Middle East AI News)
SCAI and SMC to launch joint venture to transform AdTech (Middle East AI News)