Today's Edition
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
A survey of UAE employees who use artificial intelligence at work has found that AI has become a regular part of the workday, with 90% using it at least once a week, 58% using it multiple times a week and 18% using it every working day.
The survey, conducted by Censuswide for Workday, covered 500 full-time employees aged 25 and above who use AI at work in the UAE. Respondents worked at companies with at least 1,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding $100,000.
The survey was conducted between June 23 and July 2, 2026, with more than 25% of respondents holding leadership or director-level positions.
The findings showed that AI adoption was also widespread among senior management, with more than 50% of directors and C-suite executives using the technology every week.
The survey also found that employees were saving an average of 3.6 hours a week through the use of AI.
The survey highlighted the growing role of AI in improving workplace efficiency, enabling employees and organisations to manage larger workloads and redirect resources towards training, employee well-being and business operations.
However, the findings also pointed to the continued importance of human oversight in AI-driven workplaces.
Employees reported spending an average of 3.4 hours per week clarifying, correcting or rewriting AI-generated outputs. Workday said this highlighted the importance of human judgement, governance and quality control in the use of AI at work.
Despite the time spent reviewing AI-generated work, the survey indicated that organisations were benefiting from efficiency gains and cost savings associated with the technology.
Only 0.2% of respondents said AI had not delivered meaningful time or cost savings, suggesting that almost all those surveyed had experienced some benefits from its adoption.
According to the survey, 33% reported handling greater workloads without adding to headcount, indicating that AI was helping organisations manage additional work with existing staff.
Another 32% cited training, upskilling and reskilling among the areas benefiting from the time and cost savings generated by AI. An equal proportion, 32%, identified workload management, flexibility and employee well-being as areas benefiting from the technology. Cost reduction, including savings on headcount, vendor expenditure and overtime, was cited by 24% of respondents.
The findings suggest that organisations are using the value generated by AI not only to reduce costs but also to improve workforce capabilities, manage workloads and support employee well-being.
“Organisations across the UAE are moving from AI experimentation to everyday use, with 90% of employees using AI at least weekly,” Zakaria Haltout, Group Vice President, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Workday, said.
“But lasting value depends on trust, human oversight, and continued investment in skills,” he said, adding that organisations needed context, guardrails and trusted processes to integrate AI into their workflows.
The release of the survey coincided with the launch of Nasdaq-listed Workday’s operations in the UAE. The enterprise AI platform for HR, finance and IT has opened an office in Dubai, established dedicated regional operations and expanded its local leadership.
Workday said the Dubai office would serve as a local hub to engage directly with customers, build partnerships and attract local talent, while helping organisations modernise HR and finance, manage change and derive greater value from AI.
“The UAE is a key market in Workday’s growth strategy, with organisations pursuing transformation against some of the world’s most ambitious national agendas,” said Angelique De Vries-Schipperijn, President, EMEA, Workday.
“To succeed, they need technology that helps them move faster, adopt new ways of working, and show clear results while maintaining the trust and control large, regulated organisations require,” she said.
