PwC: Middle East CEOs lead global confidence on AI

In the Middle East, AI is becoming the defining catalyst for innovation at scale, accelerating the shift from traditional models towards new operating models and services. Sustained investment and bold government action to build AI infrastructure are creating a more enabling environment for businesses across the region. This is driving a more coordinated approach across the public and private sectors, anchored in a clear philosophy: embrace AI now, or risk falling behind in the global race for innovation. 

AI embedded across the enterprise, not just at the edges 

Across every area measured, CEOs in the Middle East – and even more so in the GCC – report a significantly higher application of AI than the global average. More than a third of Middle East and GCC leaders report integrating AI directly into their offerings, compared with fewer than one in five globally. The strongest uptake can be seen in demand generation including sales, marketing and customer service, where 39% of Middle East and 43% of GCC CEOs report extensive AI use, compared with just 22% globally. Adoption is also strong in support services, with nearly 40% of Middle East CEOs applying AI, well above global averages.

This pattern reflects a pragmatic starting point for AI adoption. Demand generation and support functions offer richer data, clearer use cases and faster returns, making them natural entry points for AI deployment. At the same time, the focus on customer facing applications aligns with a broader emphasis on revenue growth, personalisation and more data driven pricing and demand decisions. 

A culture that sees AI as a growth catalyst 

A striking 82% of Middle East leaders agree that their organisational culture enables AI adoption, while 80% say their technology environment supports integration, both well above global benchmarks (see Figure 7). This points to a clear advantage: leadership alignment, cultural openness to change, and modernised IT environments in place, with organisations less constrained by legacy systems. 

Figure 7

This sentiment extends into strategy and governance. A notable 70% of Middle East CEOs say they have a clearly defined roadmap for AI initiatives, well ahead of the global average of 51%. Similarly, around 59% report having formalised responsible AI and risk processes, slightly above the global average. This suggests the region is moving beyond experimentation, towards institutionalising AI through planning, governance and oversight.

However, CEOs in the region have also revealed persistent gaps in data access. Only 29% of Middle East CEOs and 16% in the GCC agree that their most-used AI tools have access to all relevant documents and data, lower than the already modest 22% global figure. This highlights a critical bottleneck: AI confidence is high in the region, but data foundations are fragmented. Issues such as data silos, legacy systems and governance constraints are limiting AI’s full potential. Without trusted and well-governed access to enterprise data, even advanced models and strong infrastructure will struggle to deliver transformative impact. 

Attracting high-quality AI talent 

Confidence in attracting high quality AI talent is greater in the Middle East, with 59% of regional CEOs indicating that they have access to high quality technical talent. This strong talent foundation is now shaping how CEOs think about workforce growth in an AI-driven economy.

 As AI adoption accelerates, national strategies and large-scale transformation programmes across the Middle East are driving sustained demand for AI capabilities in sectors such as energy and mobility. By investing early in digitally native talent, it is likely that CEOs are building internal pipelines of AI-ready skills and shaping future capabilities from the ground up.