Middle East leads global AI adoption as organisations turn investment into productivity gains, Autodesk Research reveals

Autodesk’s 2026 State of Design & Make: AI Pulse report finds organisations in the Middle East are translating AI investment into measurable productivity and innovation gains, with 92% of regional respondents reporting productivity improvements from AI compared with 84% globally. The research — conducted between January and February 2026 in partnership with Statista Plus Research — shows 87% of Middle East organisations feel an urgent need to adopt AI, the highest level recorded worldwide, and 49% said they had significantly or substantially increased AI investment over the past year versus a 40% global average.

"The Middle East is moving faster than most markets from AI ambition to AI impact. But the real test is not how quickly organisations adopt AI. It is whether they can use it to deliver better projects, better decisions, and better-performing assets," said Naji Atallah, Head of Construction and Manufacturing, EMEA Emerging at Autodesk. "AI will only create value if it is built on trusted data, connected workflows, and the discipline to reduce rework across the full project lifecycle. That is where construction and manufacturing leaders have an opportunity to turn investment into real delivery advantage."

The report draws on responses from 2,500 global industry leaders across architecture, engineering, construction, operations, design, manufacturing, and media and entertainment, with the Middle East sample comprising 153 professionals from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Key regional findings show stronger AI-related outcomes than global peers: 90% of Middle East respondents said AI positively impacts innovation (versus 77% globally) and 78% reported improvements in decision-making (65% globally).

• AI tool adoption is rising: use of AI assistant tools and chatbots increased from 46% to 56% year-on-year, AI-enabled design programme usage rose to 57%, and AI features in project management platforms climbed from 41% to 49%.
• Interest in advanced AI is significant: 56% expect to use agentic AI within a year and 18% already report using it today.
• Organisations report strong data foundations compared with global peers, with 91% saying their data is well structured and 90% saying it is secure.

Respondents cited productivity, resilience and delivery performance as primary drivers for increased AI investment amid large-scale infrastructure pipelines and complex project environments. Generative AI, process automation and decision-support systems are top investment priorities for the next 12 months.

However, regional organisations also flagged practical barriers to scaling AI. Lack of talent and skills was identified by 59% of respondents, implementation costs by 55% and integration with existing systems by 54%. Concerns shifted toward enterprise risks: security worries rose to 54%, while concerns about AI accuracy jumped from 33% to 48% year-on-year. Job-displacement anxieties have declined, the report notes, even as governance and accuracy gain prominence.

Despite challenges, many Middle East organisations remain outward-looking: 85% are considering entering new markets, compared with a 73% global average, indicating that businesses still view AI and digital investment as linked to competitiveness and long-term growth. The findings align with regional transformation agendas such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, which underscore investments in smart infrastructure and industrial digitisation that can amplify AI’s operational impact.

Outlook

Autodesk’s regional data suggests the Middle East is shifting from experimentation to operational AI adoption, with near-term bets on agentic systems and automation. The immediate priorities for organisations will be addressing talent gaps, controlling implementation costs and integrating AI into established systems — while maintaining data security and improving model accuracy to sustain the productivity and innovation gains reported today.