How can UAE businesses turn growing AI adoption into meaningful business impact? As more companies introduce AI into their operations, the next challenge is building the data foundations, skills and processes needed to scale it successfully.
In an interview with MENA TECH, Tanuja Randery, Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS), discusses the UAE’s progress in AI adoption and what businesses need to move from experimentation to broader deployment.
Drawing on findings from AWS’s report, Randery says three out of four UAE businesses are using AI, up from two out of four the previous year. Advanced adoption, however, remains limited to around one in three. She explains how companies can progress by identifying priority business processes, involving senior leadership and redesigning workflows around AI to support growth, reduce costs and accelerate innovation.
Data readiness is central to that transition. Randery discusses why businesses that have already modernized their data foundations and invested in cloud infrastructure are better positioned to deploy AI effectively. She also explores the adoption taking place across financial services, media and digital-native startups.
As a practical example, she highlights RAKBANK’s conversational banking platform, Rai. According to Randery, the platform has supported 1.8 million conversations, with 74% handled without human involvement and customer satisfaction reaching 96%. The example illustrates how AI can become part of a core customer service operation.
The conversation also examines the role of cloud infrastructure in managing security, scalability and the growing demands of AI. Randery discusses Amazon Bedrock, automated reasoning and built-in guardrails, alongside the importance of data sovereignty and the Sovereign Launchpad developed with e&.
Skills remain a significant barrier. Randery notes that 48% of businesses surveyed struggle to find the skills they need. She outlines AWS’s work with universities and government partners, saying the company has trained 680,000 people across the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey and is on track to reach two million by 2030.
The interview further explores startup funding, cybersecurity accelerators and the support emerging companies need to develop their capabilities. Randery also discusses how regulation, disaster recovery planning and infrastructure spanning multiple regions can help businesses maintain resilience while supporting innovation, data security and responsible AI.
