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🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates /Technology

Middle East companies urged to put AI strategy at board level

From Khaleej Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A report from executive search and advisory firm EA Mena says Middle Eastern company boards should treat artificial intelligence as a business strategy, not only a technology initiative.
  • Citing the 2026 IESE Survey on Boards of Directors, the firm said 55% of board members saw no significant business value from AI, while only 15% discussed AI challenges at every meeting.
  • IBM research found that 89% of Middle Eastern CEOs said their organizations were embedding AI across multiple workflows, but only 25% of employees used it regularly at work.

Artificial intelligence may be spreading rapidly through Middle Eastern businesses, but many company boards still appear to be watching from the sidelines. A new report from Dubai-based executive search and advisory firm EA Mena urges directors to take direct ownership of AI strategy before faster-moving competitors pull ahead.

The firm said many organizations continue to frame AI as a technology project rather than a business priority. That approach risks limiting the value companies gain from their investments, particularly when leadership and governance do not keep pace with deployment.

AI adoption has to start in the boardroom, but it cannot stay there.

· Alister WellesleyThe EA Mena chief executive said boards must set AI objectives while ensuring adoption spreads across the business.

The report cited the 2026 IESE Survey on Boards of Directors, which found that 55% of board members believed AI was not yet producing significant business value. Only 15% said their boards discussed AI-related challenges at every meeting, while 38% rated board involvement in defining AI strategy as low.

The board needs to establish what the organisation wants AI to achieve and where it can create competitive advantage.

· Alister WellesleyWellesley described the board’s role in defining the business value of AI.

“AI adoption has to start in the boardroom, but it cannot stay there,” said Alister Wellesley, chief executive of EA Mena. “The board needs to establish what the organisation wants AI to achieve and where it can create competitive advantage.”

The challenge is especially visible in the Middle East, where AI deployment is accelerating. IBM’s 2026 CEO research found that 89% of Middle Eastern CEOs said their organizations were embedding AI across multiple workflows. Yet only 25% of employees used AI regularly as part of their jobs. “These figures show that the next challenge is not simply getting AI into organisations, but getting organisations ready for AI,” Wellesley said, calling for leadership to drive adoption and accountability throughout the business.

These figures show that the next challenge is not simply getting AI into organisations, but getting organisations ready for AI.

· Alister WellesleyHe responded to the gap between broad corporate AI deployment and employees’ regular use of the technology.
About this summary

Originally published by Khaleej Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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