Dubai, United Arab Emirates: New data from Pemo, the UAE’s leading spend management company, shows that businesses in the UAE are accelerating their investments in artificial intelligence to improve productivity, streamline operations and build resilience, with spending increasing by 521% in the past 13 months.
The findings come from Pemo’s first-ever UAE AI Implementation Report, which is constructed exclusively from actual corporate card and bill payment transactions collected between January 2025 and March 2026, with trend analysis from January 2025 to February 2026. Based on anonymized, aggregated data collected from over 6,000 UAE businesses and over AED 1.4 billion in annual spend, this report provides a real-time understanding of how organizations are investing in AI across the market.
At a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty across the Middle East, data shows a clear shift in business priorities. Businesses are increasingly investing in technologies that deliver immediate operational benefits, enable them to run efficiently, respond more quickly, and maintain stability in changing environments.
The report highlights that 12% of UAE companies are actively using AI tools, based on confirmed transactions. Adoption is progressing, but most organizations are still in the early stages. Nearly two-thirds of AI adopters still rely on one tool, while only 37% use two or more tools, indicating that broader organization-wide adoption is still evolving.
This data shows a clear acceleration point in the second half of 2025, when adoption begins to expand more rapidly. October to December 2025 saw three times more first-time AI adopters than any quarter in 2024, demonstrating a shift from experimentation to more consistent investment. That momentum continues through 2026, with both usage and spending steadily increasing.
Growth is primarily driven by the UAE’s SME ecosystem. Although large enterprises spend more per business, small businesses account for 59% of total AI spending, reflecting both their size and their agility in deploying tools that deliver immediate efficiency gains. Medium-sized businesses are also among the most active users and have the highest frequency of AI transactions.
At the same time, its usage has become more sophisticated. More and more organizations are combining multiple AI tools across functions, from automation and software development to content and workflow management. This shift suggests that AI is moving beyond individual use cases and becoming more integrated into daily operations.
This trajectory is consistent with the UAE’s broader digital economy ambitions, where artificial intelligence is positioned as a cornerstone of future growth. Data shows that companies are already acting on that vision and integrating AI into their workflows to stay competitive and efficient.
If you comment on the report, Ayham Gorani, Co-Founder and CEO, Pemosaid, “Today, enterprises are becoming more focused on where AI provides real value. The priority is to improve efficiency, reduce friction in daily operations, and enable teams to move faster without increasing complexity.”
“In the current climate, the ability to do more with less is critical. As organizations realize tangible benefits, adoption will grow rapidly, evolving from a single tool to broader and more embedded use, which will ultimately drive stronger productivity and more resilient operations.”
Despite rapid growth in spending, adoption remains uneven across sectors, with many traditional industries still in their infancy. As AI becomes more accessible and integrated into daily workflows, adoption is expected to expand across the economy.
For now, the direction is clear. AI is moving beyond experimentation to becoming a practical tool for businesses focused on efficiency, resilience, and long-term growth.
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