Middle East AI: High Ambition, Low Impact? Adobe Says Fix Your Execution.

UAE businesses are rapidly embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, but new research from Adobe reveals a significant gap between ambition and execution. According to Adobe's official announcement, the 'Middle East Digital Shift: From Vision to Execution' report finds nearly nine in 10 organisations are already deploying or experimenting with AI. However, many struggle to measure the return on investment (ROI) from customer experience (CX) improvements and integrate disparate systems. Our analysis focuses on the actionable steps businesses in the UAE and across the region can take to bridge this gap, moving beyond mere adoption rates to practical strategies for real-world impact.

Middle East AI Adoption Accelerates, But Execution Lags

Presented at the Adobe AI Forum in Riyadh on 19 January 2026, the report, conducted by London Research, surveyed 200 senior leaders in large enterprises across the Middle East. It highlights a strong regional push into the digital economy. A striking 88% of organisations are either experimenting with or have already deployed AI, while 61% boast a very mature cloud infrastructure. Furthermore, 85% of brands rate their CX capabilities as 'good' or 'excellent', showing high confidence in their customer-facing efforts.

However, this momentum faces significant hurdles. A majority, 59%, admit they struggle to measure the ROI of their CX improvements. Organisational silos hinder effective personalisation for 42% of businesses, preventing a unified customer approach. Despite widespread AI use, only 15% of leaders believe it currently delivers the greatest impact on profitability and growth, suggesting a disconnect between experimentation and tangible business value.

Wael Fakharany, Director of Middle East and Africa at Adobe, noted: "Across the Middle East, digital ambition is high, and investment in AI, data, and customer experience is picking up with serious pace. Our research shows that translating this momentum into consistent impact now depends on execution, from how systems are connected to how teams work together. Middle Eastern businesses that take this connected approach have a real opportunity to build momentum and shape the next phase of the digital economy, both locally and globally."

This sentiment underscores the critical need for businesses to move beyond simply adopting technology. It's about how effectively they integrate these tools and strategies into their existing operations. Many businesses, including those in the UAE, are investing heavily in digital transformation efforts, but the research suggests the real challenge lies in making those investments truly pay off.

Six Steps to Digital Impact for Middle East Businesses

Drawing on these findings, Adobe outlined six key actions for business leaders to turn their digital ambitions into measurable execution and thrive in the evolving digital economy:

Turn Cloud Maturity into Business Impact Through Integration

With 61% of organisations having mature cloud infrastructure, the focus now shifts to integration and optimisation. Over half (54%) find their technology stack only moderately effective, with security and fraud prevention remaining top concerns. Businesses must ensure their secure cloud infrastructure translates into tangible business impact through seamless integration.

Close the CX Confidence-ROI Gap

Many leaders are confident in their CX capabilities, but 59% struggle to measure the ROI. Organisational silos also limit effective personalisation for 42% of respondents. Modern tools that combine real-time orchestration and measurement across channels are vital to bridge this gap.

Scale AI from Experimentation to Enterprise Value

AI use is widespread, with 93% seeing AI-powered personalisation as important for e-commerce. Yet, confidence in AI's impact on profitability remains low. Businesses need platforms that integrate AI into everyday execution to achieve enterprise-wide value, moving beyond mere experimentation to strategic application. This requires a clear vision for how human intelligence still leads in guiding AI implementation.

Address Content Supply Chain Inefficiencies

The demand for personalised, multi-channel engagement is growing, but fragmented content supply chains are a major constraint. Less than a third of organisations rate their content supply chain as highly efficient, despite half using AI for content creation. Integrating content creation, management, and activation through GenAI-powered tools like Adobe GenStudio and Adobe Firefly can help maintain brand consistency and efficiency. This echoes the broader trend of AI platforms built for people helping streamline operations.

Broaden Digital Transformation Ownership

While CTOs or CIOs often lead digital transformation, limiting ownership to IT can restrict business-wide impact. Tools that unite marketing, operations, and customer-facing teams under a shared digital playbook are essential for broader success.

Strengthen Digital Foundations

Digital transformation remains a top strategic priority, even above AI and data-led decision-making for 24% of leaders. Building strong digital foundations, including platforms that unify customer data and journey orchestration, is crucial for long-term value.

What This Means for the UAE Digital Economy

The findings of Adobe's 'The Middle East Digital Shift: From Vision to Execution' report offer crucial insights for businesses operating in the UAE. As one of the countries surveyed, the UAE's digital landscape mirrors the region's dual narrative of high ambition and significant execution challenges. Local companies, from startups to large enterprises, are investing heavily in AI and cloud solutions, but the focus must now sharpen on how these technologies are implemented, measured, and integrated to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Wael Fakharany concluded: "Together, these actions highlight a significant shift that is now underway across the Middle East. Digital ambition and investment are well established, but sustained impact will increasingly rely on execution, integration, and shared ownership across the business. By bringing data, AI, content, and customer journeys together in a single environment, Adobe is helping organisations across the region turn digital momentum into long-lasting business growth."

For UAE businesses, this means moving beyond the initial excitement of AI adoption to a more strategic, integrated approach. The opportunity to shape the next phase of the digital economy, both locally and globally, hinges on their ability to overcome these execution gaps and truly leverage their digital investments.

Pricing and Availability

Not applicable for this research report.

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by

Share

Copied