UAE CEOs fear losing jobs if AI plans fail, study finds

Dubai: Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the biggest pressure points for CEOs in the UAE, with a new study showing many business leaders now believe their jobs could depend on whether AI delivers measurable business results.

New research from Dataiku, a French-American artificial intelligence and machine learning company, found that 79 per cent of UAE CEOs believe their roles are at risk if their companies fail to achieve clear business gains from AI by the end of 2026.

It seems as though AI has moved from being a technology experiment to a boardroom priority across the UAE. Companies, whether their customers want it or not, are racing to integrate AI tools into operations, customer service, finance, logistics, and decision-making.

Florian Douetteau, CEO and co-founder of Dataiku, said companies now face pressure to prove AI can deliver reliable business outcomes.

“Every enterprise now has access to powerful AI. The differentiator is whether they can turn that power into reliable business decisions,” he said.

“That is the cognitive dissonance happening in the C-suite right now: CEOs are staking their jobs on AI, but still questioning its outputs and struggling to control the systems they say they own.”

State of CEOs in UAE

The study, conducted by Harris Poll for Dataiku, surveyed 900 CEOs globally, including business leaders in the UAE, the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

According to the report, more than half of UAE CEOs — 53 per cent — believe that successful AI leadership will become the top factor boards consider when appointing future CEOs within the next two years.

The pressure appears especially strong in the Emirates. UAE CEOs were the most likely globally to say AI decisions made today could damage their long-term legacy. Around 23 per cent said the way their organisation currently uses AI could negatively affect how they are remembered as leaders — more than double the global average.

The study also found that CEOs are becoming more directly involved in AI strategy. Three-quarters of UAE CEOs said their involvement in AI-related decisions had increased over the past year, while 55 per cent described themselves as the most influential person shaping their company’s direction

Boardroom expectations are intensifying

Nearly six in ten UAE CEOs said they feel pressure from boards to produce measurable AI outcomes, while 76 per cent said investors now view AI strategy and execution as important.

At the same time, many executives remain cautious about the risks linked to AI adoption.

About 44 per cent of UAE CEOs said their companies had delayed or cancelled AI projects because of fears the initiatives could fail. Meanwhile, 75 per cent said CEOs could lose their jobs in 2026 because of failed AI strategies or major AI-related crises.

The research also highlighted concerns around AI governance and accountability.

While 73 per cent of UAE CEOs said they trust their company’s AI governance systems, the UAE ranked lowest globally when CEOs were asked whether they felt confident explaining AI-driven decisions to regulators or courts.

AI for decision-making

The study also found that 41 per cent of UAE CEOs had not challenged decisions made by AI vendors or platform providers within their organisations over the past year.

Sid Bhatia, Area Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Dataiku, said governance is becoming increasingly important as companies expand AI use.

“The CEOs who succeed are those who treat governance as an accelerator, not a constraint,” he said.

The study comes as the UAE continues to position itself as a regional AI hub, with both government entities and private companies investing heavily in artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation.