Technology
AI at work in the Middle East: adoption is fast, but support is uneven
AI is already part of many Middle East jobs. The more important workplace question is whether adoption improves the job—or quietly adds risk and workload to it.
The adoption signal is strong
PwC’s regional workforce survey reported that three quarters of its 2025 respondents used AI at work in the previous year. Around half expected technological change to affect their jobs significantly over the next three years. These are self-reported views from a consultancy survey, so they describe sentiment and use among respondents rather than the whole workforce.
Access does not equal readiness
Giving a team an AI tool is not the same as redesigning work responsibly. Employees need to know what information may be entered, where human review is mandatory, and whether errors will be treated as a system issue or an individual failure.
- Is there a written policy for confidential or personal information?
- Which decisions must remain human-reviewed?
- Will productivity targets change after AI is introduced?
- Who owns the output when the tool is wrong?
Watch for a new kind of skills gap
The divide is not only technical. People need judgement: how to test an answer, spot bias, protect data and explain a decision. Employers that reserve training for senior or technical staff may widen internal inequality even while overall adoption rises.
What a useful workplace review can record
A safe review can say whether training was available, whether AI changed workload, and whether performance expectations were explained. It should avoid naming a system used on a confidential client or sharing internal data. Patterns across reviews will be more meaningful than one dramatic claim.
Sadeq Editorial distinguishes official statistics from survey findings and interpretation. Regional figures describe broad patterns—not every country, sector or workplace.