Awareness Remains A Major Stumbling Block For AI Adoption

While AI technology is advancing rapidly, adoption still faces several major hurdles, an industry veteran said.

“Many business leaders still associate AI with writing content or editing images. There's a significant knowledge gap in understanding how AI can be trained, customized, and integrated into core business operations,” Rajib Roy, Founder and CEO of Royex Technologies, said.

Artificial Intelligence in 2025 is transitioning from novelty to necessity. One of the most prominent trends is the rise of multimodal AI, where systems now process and generate text, images, audio, and video simultaneously-enabling more human-like interactions. According to McKinsey, over 40% of companies globally have already embedded AI into at least one function, and that number is expected to rise sharply this year.

“A particularly transformative shift is the growth of Agentic AI-autonomous AI agents that can carry out routine and even strategic tasks. Businesses are no longer just experimenting with AI; they are appointing AI agents to handle sales, support, scheduling, and more. At Royex, we've seen this firsthand-especially with several UAE government departments rapidly integrating AI to streamline citizen services and reduce operational delays,” Roy said. This year marks a turning point where AI moves from“wow” moments to working solutions that deliver real business value, he added.

According to a 2024 IDC report, over 65% of organizations say they lack the data readiness to adopt AI effectively. Many companies are unsure where to begin, lack structured data, or don't have internal teams trained to work with AI. Add to that the concerns about data privacy, ethical risks, and regulatory uncertainty, and the barriers become clearer.

“Additionally, without proper training, AI systems can't deliver meaningful results. It's a tool, not a miracle. Misconceptions like“AI will automatically bring in leads or customers” often lead to disillusionment. Building internal capacity, trust, and a clear roadmap is essential for scalable adoption,” Roy said.

Royex Technologies is seeking to democratize AI for businesses of all sizes in the UAE and beyond. “We take a multi-pronged approach,” Roy said.

These include:

Awareness & Education: Every month, Royex hosts“Business Breakfast” events to showcase real-world use cases-how AI can boost sales, automate customer support, and improve marketing efficiency. These sessions have empowered dozens of SMEs to begin their AI journey.

Content & Community: Through its website, video podcast series, and blogs, Royex seeks to educate the public about emerging trends and how to use AI in practical business scenarios.

Royex recently launched EYAANA, an intelligent platform that combines voice AI, chatbots, multilingual assistants, and CRM integration to fully automate communication workflows. It's already helping companies reduce costs, improve engagement, and increase conversion rates.

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