UAE IT leaders back Agentic AI, but lack readiness
Data, trust and compliance gaps slow UAE AI deployment
#UAE #sentiment– UAE enterprise IT leaders are highly optimistic about the potential of agentic AI, but 86% see compliance risks, and 42% lack confidence in having the right guardrails in place, according to new research from US-based cloud software company Salesforce. The study, part of Salesforce’s global State of IT: Security report, reveals 80% of UAE organisations plan to adopt AI agents within two years, yet many lack the data infrastructure, governance, and readiness to deploy them safely and effectively. 50 people from the UAE participated in the Salesforce survey.
SO WHAT? – The findings contrasts the gap between the UAE’s now often researched and publicised AI enthusiasm and local enterprise readiness. According to Salesforce, while agentic AI offers significant efficiency and security gains, most UAE organisations must still overhaul data foundations and compliance practices to deploy the technology responsibly and mitigate regulatory risks.
Here are some key points about the new Salesforce survey:
Cloud software company Salesforce’s has released UAE findings from its latest global State of IT: Security report. 50 people from the UAE participated in the Salesforce survey.
86% of UAE IT leaders believe AI agents present compliance risks, despite 84% also seeing compliance benefits such as improved adherence to privacy laws.
80% of UAE organisations plan to use AI agents by 2027, up from just 32% today, indicating a rapid shift in digital security strategies.
42% of UAE firms aren’t confident their current safeguards are sufficient for responsible AI deployment. 57% of organisations globally lack trust in AI outputs.
64% of UAE IT leaders worry their data infrastructure isn’t fit for agentic AI, versus 48% globally – highlighting a local readiness gap.
Nearly half of UAE organisations question the quality of their data and ability to enforce correct permissions and policies for AI agents.
While agentic AI can enhance auditing and threat detection, only 38% of UAE security leaders believe their practices are currently ready for widespread AI use.
74% of UAE companies expect to increase their security budgets this year, reflecting growing urgency to close security and compliance gaps.
Complex regulatory environments and manual compliance processes are holding back deployment, with 90% of UAE organisations in the survey yet to fully automate compliance.
Trust remains a major barrier, with only 42% of consumers globally trusting businesses to use AI ethically, down from 58% in 2023.
One global trend sees enterprises investing four times more in data infrastructure than in AI – indicating a foundational approach to agentic AI readiness.
ZOOM OUT – Agentic AI is emerging as a transformative force in enterprise technology, with systems that autonomously plan and act on user-defined goals. According to Gartner, by 2028 at least 15% of all day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents, up from virtually none today. Ultimately, the technologies promise a virtual workforce that augments human capability, enabling more adaptive and productive software systems. As CIOs seek to boost enterprise productivity, both vendors and organisations are investing heavily in building the secure, robust, and trustworthy infrastructure needed to support agentic AI at scale.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
LINKS
Download State of IT: Security (Salesforce)