UAE Agentic AI: Businesses See Gains, Face Challenges

The UAE is entering a new phase of digital transformation with the emergence of agentic AI. The government aims to transform 50% of its services, sectors, and processes within two years using this technology. What's interesting is that 77% of UAE business leaders already report significant productivity gains from AI, compared to a 66% average in EMEA. Even more, 92% expect agentic AI to bring measurable returns in the next two years. Agentic AI goes beyond traditional systems. It can independently plan, reason, execute actions, and adapt to changing conditions. These systems can complete end-to-end business processes with varying levels of autonomy. Major platforms are embedding these capabilities into existing tools, lowering the barrier to entry. However, integrating these capabilities requires a governance layer alongside the technology, which is still in its early stages. Many enterprises still view agents as just smarter chatbots. The real value comes when agents can act autonomously, updating records or completing transactions. The bottom line is that the rise of agentic AI also brings security risks, especially with autonomous agents communicating without direct human oversight.