UAE leads in leveraging data, data science, and AI for business growth

A recent report commissioned by Dataiku, the platform for everyday AI, shows that the UAE is the leader in leveraging data, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) for business growth and decision making.

YouGov conducted the survey in early 2022, with 2,487 decision makers from France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UAE participating. It discovered that UAE respondents are the most convinced of data’s utility in the workplace, with 84% believing it is essential, compared to the EMEA average of 69%.

According to YouGov’s Dataiku-commissioned report, 71% of UAE respondents have used more data in the last five years, which is significantly higher than the EMEA average of just over half (55% ). In comparison to the EMEA average of 52%, 71% of UAE respondents believe they will use even more data in the next five years.

The survey also revealed that UAE respondents are well aware of the role AI can play in their own jobs, as well as within their organization and sector, in the coming years. In the UAE, 66% believe AI and data science will have an impact on their role in the next five years, while 65% believe AI and data science will have an impact on their company and 67% believe AI and data science will have an impact on their industry in the next five years.

“The findings in our report clearly establish the UAE as highly aware of the power of data and AI,” said Sid Bhatia, Regional Vice President & General Manager for Middle East & Turkey, Dataiku. “We believe this a direct consequence of the government’s forward-looking position on these technologies. We see this in its Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031; we see it in the federal government becoming the first to appoint a minister of state for AI; and we see it in DIFC’s move to issue special AI licenses. Our findings also highlight the widespread acknowledgment that enterprise AI is an organizational asset that will define the business of the future and the industries of the future.”

However, Bhatia also pointed out the gap in perception between managers and non-managers in the UAE when it comes to data utility and the role of AI. While 71% of UAE managers say their use of data in daily work has increased over past five years and 73% believe their use of data will increase over next five years, only 44% of non-managers say they have used more data over the past five years and a mere third expect to use more over the next five years. Two thirds (67%) of those in management positions believe AI and data science will impact their roles but less than half (44%) of non-managers believe the same.

“There is clearly a need to democratize the use of AI if it is to gain widespread acceptance as a tool of prosperity,” continued Bhatia. “It is only when all people within an organization see AI as a partner in change that they will come together and collaborate. Then stakeholders can deliver the culture needed to build a digital business. Through this culture change comes Everyday AI, where organizations can truly capitalize on data science to gain the kind of insights that lead to innovation.”

An Everyday AI culture is one in which the use of data becomes second nature as a result of a combination of upskilling, governance, and technology procurement. In such cases, by involving more people in the analytics process, execution becomes faster, resulting in faster identification of opportunities, faster attainment of insights, and slicker action.

“Under Everyday AI, the use of data becomes almost pedestrian,” Bhatia explained. “AI is so ingrained and intertwined with day-to-day operations that it’s just part of the business, rather than being used or developed by one central team. That is the future we see for forward-thinking business communities like the UAE.”