UAE moves ahead of global peers in AI governance, new study finds

The UAE is strengthening its position in one of the most important areas of the digital economy: AI governance. A new global study launched by Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) in collaboration with IBM Institute for Business Valueshows that organisations in the UAE are adopting AI governance platforms faster than their peers in many other markets, highlighting the country’s growing leadership in building more structured, resilient, and future-ready AI systems.

According to the study, around 20% of organisations in the UAE are currently implementing AI governance platforms, compared with 12% globally. The findings are based on responses from more than 1,000 senior executives across 20 countries and 23 sectors, offering a broad international view of how institutions are approaching AI at scale.

For Dubai People, what makes this especially notable is that the conversation is no longer just about adopting AI quickly. It is increasingly about whether organisations can scale AI with enough visibility, control, and resilience to make it sustainable. In that context, the UAE appears to be moving earlier and more seriously than many of its peers.

The report also points to a growing awareness of sovereignty as a business issue. In the UAE, 98% of executives said they now need to factor sovereignty into their business strategies, compared with 93% globally. The study suggests that questions of governance, data control, and long-term operational resilience are becoming central as AI moves deeper into core business functions.

Another interesting signal is that UAE organisations appear slightly less overwhelmed by AI complexity than global peers. 48% of UAE executives said they struggle with managing the complexity created by too many AI assets, compared with 52% globally. That does not mean the challenge is small — but it does suggest that local institutions may be approaching AI architecture with a bit more structure and readiness.

At the same time, the study makes clear that there is still work to do. Only 13% of organisations in the UAE currently apply comprehensive AI governance frameworks across all their initiatives, which shows that while adoption is moving quickly, full institutional maturity is still developing.

Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said the findings reinforce the importance of helping both public and private sector organisations expand advanced AI adoption in line with strong governance practices. He linked the results to the broader ambitions of the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence, launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and implemented by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligencetogether with government entities and technology companies.

The study also underlines how quickly AI investment is growing. Nearly two-thirds of organisations in both the UAE and globally — 68% in the UAE and 67% worldwide — are expected to adopt AI systems at scale by 2030. That makes governance even more important, especially as companies look for real returns in productivity, revenue growth, and operational efficiency.

One of the strongest conclusions in the report is that traditional compliance-based governance is no longer enough. Organisations using integrated, capability-led governance models are more effective at scaling AI and generating stronger business outcomes, with some reporting up to six times greater productivity impact from AI initiatives compared with more traditional approaches.

For Dubai and the UAE, the message is clear: the next stage of AI leadership will not be defined only by how fast the technology is adopted, but by how intelligently it is governed. And if this new study is any indication, the UAE is already positioning itself ahead of the curve.