Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — While 93 percent of companies in Saudi Arabia have an AI strategy in place or under development, only 8 percent feel fully prepared for adoption of the technology, according to Cisco AI Readiness Index for Saudi Arabia.
Most companies (47 percent) aim to improve efficiency and productivity with AI. Only 30 percent see new revenue streams as a top benefit, said the Index, which surveyed over 8,000 companies across 30 countries and was developed in response to the accelerated adoption of AI.
It assesses AI readiness across six pillars: strategy, infrastructure, data, talent, governance, and culture, surveying respondents from companies with 500 or more employees.
The biggest skills gap identified is comprehension of AI tools (31 percent). Thankfully, 82 percent of companies are investing in employee AI training.
However, only 12 percent of organizations have networks equipped for AI workloads, and 70 percent lack sufficient cybersecurity for AI models.
“Saudi Arabia is making strides in AI,” said Cisco Saudi Arabia’s Managing Director Salman Faqeeh. “The Index can help prioritize national AI strategies.”
“At Cisco, we believe in the critical role of AI to revolutionize industries and drive innovation, and it has been an important element across our portfolio for over a decade. As the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is working to implement the National Strategy for Data and AI, the insights from the index can help inform the prioritization across important pillars including strategy, infrastructure, data, governance, talent, and culture.”