Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025 reveals 92% of UAE organizations plan to deploy AI agents

Cisco today released the UAE findings from the third annual Cisco AI Readiness Index. The report highlights the significant progress organizations in the UAE are making as they accelerate the adoption and scaling of AI across their operations. The study reveals that 92% of UAE organizations plan to deploy AI agents and 41% expect these agents to work alongside employees within the next year.

The urgency to demonstrate tangible return-on-investment (ROI) from AI deployments is also growing, with 86% of UAE respondents stating that this urgency has increased in the past six months. Reflecting this priority, 74% of organizations in the country now rank AI as a top consideration within their IT budgets.

“This year’s survey highlights how organizations in the UAE are moving decisively from intention to action in their AI journeys. It is showing a clear decision among UAE businesses to leverage AI for measurable value, supported by the fact that 64% have a well-defined strategy in place for deploying AI-powered solutions,” said Abdelilah Nejjari, Managing Director, Cisco Gulf and Levant. “We are also witnessing a pivotal transition beyond traditional chatbots to advanced agentic systems that can independently execute complex tasks and drive significant value. As autonomous AI ushers in an era of constant compute demand, Cisco is committed to partnering with organizations across the region to support the foundation for secure AI infrastructure at scale, helping them leverage their readiness and accelerate their leadership in the digital economy.”

Key findings include:

Building infrastructure that’s ready to grow
In anticipation of increased AI workloads, over half (51%) of UAE organizations plan to invest in building new data center capacity within the next 12 months.

Moving pilots into production
23% of UAE organizations have successfully finalized their AI use cases, and only 17% have already a mature, repeatable innovation process for their use cases, driving a strong foundation for AI-driven innovation.

Tangible Impact

UAE organizations are leveraging AI for a range of business benefits. Currently, 55% are applying AI for operational efficiency and automation, including predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, intelligent process automation, energy management, and quality control. Thanks to invesments in AI, 69% of organizations in the UAE already report gains across profitability, productivity, and innovation.

Turning security into strength
In the UAE, over half (54%) are highly aware of AI-specific threats, 31% integrate AI into their security and identity systems, and 42% are fully equipped to control and secure AI agents. 47% of UAE organizations are utilizing AI to strengthen cybersecurity through advanced threat detection, response, and recovery capabilities. These datapoints showcase the UAE’s proactive approach to addressing AI-driven security challenges and its commitment to creating a secure digital ecosystem. Trust remains a key pillar in shaping the nation’s vision for AI innovation and integration.

AI gap talent

In the UAE, 38% believe they have strong in-house AI talent necessary for successful AI deployment, pointing to an ongoing need for talent development in this rapidly evolving field.

AI Infrastructure Debt

This year’s report introduces a new concept – AI Infrastructure Debt – which are the early warning signs of hidden bottlenecks that threaten to erode long-term value. It’s the silent accumulation of compromises, deferred upgrades, and underfunded architecture that erodes the value of AI over time. Some early warning signs are already visible, with the majority of companies expecting workloads to rise by over 30% within three years, indicating that they will struggle to centralize data, and only a minority indicating that they can detect or prevent AI-specific threats. When the systems that power AI aren’t secure, the debt can increase risk.

The Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025 is a global study, now in its third year, based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 senior IT and business leaders responsible for AI strategy at organizations with over 500 employees across 26 industries.