UAE organisations ramp up AI investments, boosting data compliance and cyber resilience amid growing regulatory focus, Veritas study finds

(MENAFN- Alto ) - 98% of UAE organisations say the appointment of the 22 Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers in Dubai has increased their awareness, internal guidelines and active usage of AI-driven tools and processes within their workforces.
- Compliance is a key driver for 73% of organisations to review their AI usage policies and protocols on an annual basis
- 52% are actively investing in AI to increase speed of response to cyber-attacks and generate new approaches to dealing with cyber threats.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – 8th October 2024 - Veritas Technologies, the leader in secure multi-cloud data resilience, today unveiled findings from its latest research study which reveals greatly increased prioritisation of AI usage in data management processes to ensure compliance with legislation. Organisations in the Emirates are making significant strides in adopting AI technology, with a particular emphasis on increasing the ability of IT teams to identify and respond quicker to cyber-attacks. According to the latest Veritas research, 45% of UAE organisations are planning to accelerate their overall AI investments in the next 12 months, recognising the critical role AI plays in enhancing data security and adhering to regulatory frameworks.

Johnny Karam, Managing Director & Vice President of the International Emerging Region at Veritas Technologies, reflected on these trends, stating: “In the face of rising threats such as ransomware and data breaches, UAE organisations are responding to the investment and attention of the UAE government, and turning to AI as a crucial enabler for both cyber resilience and data compliance. Our latest research shows a significant increase in the number of businesses judging data security as the greatest threat to their business operations and are now prioritising AI adoption, not only to enhance cybersecurity but also to meet the growing demands of regulatory frameworks. Importantly the overwhelming majority of these AI investments are focused on enabling IT personnel to increase their strategic understanding, speed of response, and efficiency of action after detection of threats. This, in turn, allows senior leadership to focus on driving strategic growth while maintaining compliance and data integrity.”

Impact of Governmental Actions on Organisational AI Integration
The UAE government continues to lead regionally and globally on adopting new technologies creating clear roadmaps for organisations to focus AI investment and innovation. The appointment of 22 Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers across various government entities in Dubai, in June 2024, has significantly influenced how organisations approach AI integration, prompting 98% of organisations to take action as a result. A majority—58%—of responses report increased awareness of AI compliance regulations as a result of the appointments, with 54% also suggesting they have received better sector-specific guidance on maximising AI efficiency.

Legacy business compliance risks still exists
The survey findings indicate that prior to the appointment of the governmental Chief AI Officers, 29% of UAE organisations experienced data falling out of compliance or were unsure of its compliance status. This is compounded by 34% of UAE employees admitting to using public tools like ChatGPT and Bard, unknowingly increasing the risk of sharing sensitive data, according to the Generative AI in the Workplace study. This latest survey finds 29% of organisations still use public AI tools to enhance efficiency, even though they pose higher compliance and data security risks than private models. Encouragingly, 24% of UAE organisations now restrict AI use to private models only for their workforce to mitigate these threats.

AI as a Defence Against Ransomware and Data Breaches
While the research reveals that 49% of UAE organisations consider data security risks—such as ransomware, data theft, and data loss—as their top concern (increasing from 37% in Veritas research last year), 99% recognise that the major business benefit of AI is the technology’s ability to boost their organisation’s cyber resilience. The ability to generate innovative approaches to cyber threat detection is identified as a key driver, with 57% of responses highlighting AI’s capacity to accelerate the identification of cyber-attacks, enabling faster, more effective responses to security threats and the ability to proactively suggest new processes and approaches for dealing with data breaches.

Enhancing Data Security Skills in IT Teams with AI
The survey indicates only 5% of UAE respondents view AI investments as a means to downsize the size of their Cyber Security teams. Instead, AI is proving valuable in optimising data management capabilities of the human talent, with 43% of UAE organisations stating that automating routine tasks allows senior executives to focus on strategic initiatives and IT teams to perform core functions more efficiently. By reducing manual data handling, AI frees up time for leaders and their teams to drive long-term growth and innovation.

Compliance as a Key Driver for AI Adoption
73% of responses showed that compliance to more stringent local and international regulatory standards is the main driver to review their organisation’s AI usage policies annually. To mitigate risks, 9 out of 10 companies have implemented AI compliance frameworks, showing a proactive commitment to responsible practices. As regulations evolve, robust compliance strategies are critical for ensuring AI adoption is secure and future-proof.

With AI-powered solution’s streamlining operations and reducing recovery time, Veritas is addressing the need for simpler, smarter and faster recovery solutions, particularly in regions like the UAE, where AI adoption for business continuity is rapidly increasing.

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