Saudi Arabian businesses have developed a strong appetite for AI and, though they are not easily swayed by hype, new research shows they are actively implementing data improvement initiatives to prepare for an AI-enabled future. In fact, 89% of companies indicate that AI is an important topic amongst their executive management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is according to the AI Maturity Report in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) [here], which was recently commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by EY. \u201cSaudi Arabian businesses are taking a keen interest in AI from a strategic view point. This bodes well for the future of the technology within the Kingdom as AI maturity begins with executives identifying business problems that need to be solved,\u201d says [Thamer Al Harbi,] president of Microsoft arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though AI activity over the past ten years in Saudi Arabia has been relatively quiet \u2013 total investment reached around US$585 million \u2013 the Kingdom emerged strongly again in 2018. An important topic at all levels of business Across industries, there is significant buzz around the topic of AI. Around 42% of companies report that AI conversations are already taking place at non-managerial levels \u2013 the highest percentage of non-managerial participation recorded by any country in the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI development, though in its earliest stages, is underway. At least 26% of businesses report they are planning AI activity, while at the same time actively investing in relevant skills. Pockets of excellence are also emerging, as evidenced by 16% of companies reporting AI is already contributing significantly to their business processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digitisation the primary focus Though Saudi executives intuitively sense the value of AI, they are conscious that getting too caught up in the hype of AI might blind them to the dangers of investing in technology that is only just starting to demonstrate its commercial value. As it stands, the number one concern for businesses in implementing AI is the diffusion of their resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least 32% of Saudi companies are cautious of spreading their budgetary and human resources too thin, all while pursuing AI simply because it\u2019s exciting. Rather, executives know they need to remain focused on their business objectives and not be influenced by the hype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As such, the primary focus for most Saudi businesses is digitisation. While 37% of companies view AI as an important priority, it is not their most urgent priority. Instead, they are actively building the infrastructure needed for digital transformation, starting with good quality data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest problem to date with AI is that it isn\u2019t always right – AI has given us the ability to make datadriven predictions, decisions and actions faster than ever before, but it is only as effective as the data and algorithms it relies on,\u201d says Steve Plimsoll, MENA Data & Intelligence advisory leader, EY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, while it\u2019s great to see local companies investing in adoption of AI, the focus must be on building trust – that the underlying data and algorithms are reliable, the models ethical and the predictions are measurable and as accurate as they can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without trust, AI will be never fully move from fiction into reality.\u201d Paving the way for AI development Saudi organisations are aware of the work that needs to be done before they are \u2018data-ready\u2019 for AI development. While most businesses have access to large volumes of data, they are still building the structures needed to enforce strict data processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from data management, Saudi companies indicate they are still developing several other capabilities key to AI maturity, including the integration of emotional intelligence with AI. This is not surprising given organisations are still prioritising foundational competencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabian businesses have developed a strong appetite for AI and, though they are not easily swayed by hype, new research shows they are actively implementing data improvement initiatives to prepare for an AI-enabled future. In fact, 89% of companies indicate that AI is an important topic amongst their executive management. This is according to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"1","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":449,"_extra_hide_author_box":"1","_extra_featured_post":"","_partner_post_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[449],"tags":[327],"class_list":["post-11229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","et_post_format-et-post-format-gallery","et-has-post-format-content"],"yoast_head":"\n