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Small UAE firms widen AI adoption to boost revenue

Globally, 75 per cent of SMEs say they are either experimenting with or have implemented AI

Almost nine of ten small and medium enterprises (88 per cent) in the UAE say that the use of artificial intelligence helps increase revenue, a study showed.

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, has released the new Small & Medium Business Trends report, sharing insights from 3,350 leaders from small and medium-sized businesses across 26 countries — including 75 from the UAE.

SMEs in the UAE cite three primary reasons for AI adoption — predictive forecasting for sales, lead prioritisation (joint first place), and natural language search tools.

64 per cent of SME leaders in the UAE worry their company will be left behind when it comes to AI, compared to 51 per cent globally.

Globally, 75 per cent of SMEs say they are either experimenting with or have implemented AI, citing benefits to revenue, productivity, and customer experience. 87 per cent of SMEs in the UAE are using or experimenting with AI.

As technology offerings multiply and capabilities expand, SME leaders face mounting pressure to effectively manage their tech stack. Fifty seven 57 per cent of SME leaders in the UAE say keeping pace with changing technology is challenging. This compares to 68 per cent globally. Forty nine per cent of SME leaders in the UAE say there isn’t time to master all the tech their company uses, compared to 44 per cent globally. Seventy seven per cent of SMEs in UAE say improving the quality of their data would increase revenue, compared to 80 per cent globally.

With consumer trust at its lowest point in years, SMEs are prioritizing reliable partnerships as they navigate a world of security risks and rapid technological change. Seventy two per cent of SMEs in the UAE would spend more on tech from trusted vendors, compared to 81 per cent globally, the Salesforce study showed.

For SMEs in the UAE, the top concerns about AI are security, ethics and poor integration with existing technology.

“SMEs in the UAE are experimenting with AI, driven by a strong desire to stay ahead of the curve and use the technology to improve the way their organisations work while boosting customer services. However, like their global counterparts, many business leaders in the UAE are concerned about their ability to keep pace with the rapid development of AI, and particularly the security and ethical issues it can raise,” said Thierry Nicault, area vice president and general manager, Salesforce Middle East. “We look forward to working with SMEs in the Middle East to help them navigate the fast-changing technology landscape and ensure they are able to deploy AI in a safe, ethical and effective way.”