Middle East Businesses Move Rapidly on AI, Turning Attention to Delivery and Impact, Adobe Research Reveals

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At Adobe AI Forum in Riyadh, Adobe today shared new research highlighting how organisations across the region are rapidly accelerating their role in the Middle East's digital economy, driven by strong digital transformation investment across Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud infrastructure and customer experience (CX). The research also reveals that gaps in execution, measurement and integration continue to limit the ability of many to translate digital investment into tangible impact.

Based on a survey of 200 senior leaders at large enterprises from across the region, The Middle East Digital Shift: From Vision to Execution report from Adobe, reveals strong momentum, with nearly nine in 10 (88%) organisations already experimenting with or deploying AI, while 61% say their cloud infrastructure is very mature. Customer experience is widely recognised as a primary driver of growth, with 85% of brands rating their CX capabilities as either 'good' or 'excellent'.

However, 59% are struggling to measure the return on investment of CX improvements with 42% citing organisational silos as a barrier to effective personalisation, and only 15% believing AI is currently delivering the greatest impact on profitability and growth.

"Across the Middle East, digital ambition is high, and investment in AI, data, and customer experience is picking up with serious pace," said Wael Fakharany, Director of Middle East and Africa at Adobe. "Our research shows that translating this momentum into consistent impact now depends on execution, from how systems are connected to how teams work together. Middle Eastern businesses that take this connected approach have a real opportunity to build momentum and shape the next phase of the digital economy, both locally and globally."

Six actions business leaders must take to turn digital ambition into execution

Drawing on the research findings, Adobe outlines six key actions to help organisations thrive in the digital economy.

1. Strengthen digital foundations to unlock AI, analytics, and growth: Digital transformation remains a leading strategic priority, with 24% of leaders naming it as their top focus for the next five-years, above those who prioritise AI, automation, and data-led decision-making (21%). Long-term value depends on building strong digital foundations with a platform that unifies customer data, journey orchestration, and customer data in one place.
2. Broaden ownership of digital transformation beyond IT: In 62% of organisations, responsibility for day-to-day digital transformation ownership and execution sits with the CTO or CIO. While this model helps accelerate foundational progress, it can limit business-wide impact when transformation is not shared across functions, highlighting the importance of tools that unite marketing, operations, and customer-facing teams under one digital playbook.
3. Address structural inefficiencies in the content supply chain: As demand for personalised, multi-channel engagement increases, fragmented supply chains are emerging as a critical constraint. Half of organisations now use AI extensively for content creation, but fewer than one-third (28%) rate their content supply chain as highly efficient, reinforcing the need to connect content creation, management, and activation through AI and GenAI-powered tools like Adobe GenStudio and Adobe Firefly, which help brands maintain brand consistency across channels.
4. Scale AI from experimentation to achieve enterprise-wide value: AI use is widespread, with most organisations already experimenting with or deploying it, with AI-powered personalisation seen as important for ecommerce by 93% of respondents. However, confidence in AI impact remains low, with only 15% believing AI is currently the most influential technology for profitability and growth, highlighting the need for platforms that integrate AI into everyday execution.
5. Close the gap between CX confidence and measurable ROI: Many leaders express confidence in their CX capabilities, with 85% of brands saying they are 'good' or 'excellent' at delivering personalised, unified CX. However, execution challenges remain significant, with organisational silos limiting effective personalisation for 42% of respondents, while 59% struggle to measure the ROI of CX improvements, highlighting the importance of modern tools that marry real-time orchestration and measurement across channels.
6. Turn cloud maturity into business impact through integration: Cloud adoption is well advanced, with 61% of organisations describing their infrastructure as very mature. The challenge now lies in integration and optimisation, with more than half (54%) saying their technology stack is only moderately effective at meeting business goals, while security and fraud prevention remain top concerns.

Fakharany continued: "Together, these actions highlight a significant shift that is now underway across the Middle East. Digital ambition and investment are well established, but sustained impact will increasingly rely on execution, integration, and shared ownership across the business. By bringing data, AI, content, and customer journeys together in a single environment, Adobe is helping organisations across the region turn digital momentum into long-lasting business growth."

Report methodology

Adobe recently commissioned London Research to carry out an online survey of 200 large businesses across the Middle East region. All businesses surveyed had annual revenues of at least US$500m, with respondents in KSA, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE. All respondents were at least at senior-manager level, with 80% of those surveyed at head of department, director or C-suite level. Respondents came from a range of business sectors and job functions.

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