UAE manufacturers are integrating artificial intelligence into core operations faster than peers anywhere else in the world, according to new research from Schneider Electric SE. The findings arrive at a moment when the country’s industrial workforce and everyday economic life stand to be reshaped by decisions being made now in factory control rooms and government ministries alike.
The 2026 Industrial AI in CPG Study, which examined adoption patterns in the UAE’s food and beverage sector, found that 23 percent of local manufacturers now treat AI as essential to their business, compared with just 16.3 percent of manufacturers globally. The gap widens when looking forward: 59 percent of UAE manufacturers expect AI to fundamentally reshape their operations by 2030, versus 42.2 percent internationally. Executives attribute this disparity to a deliberate national strategy coupling industrial modernization with heavy capital deployment in digital systems, a pairing that carries direct consequences for employment, supply chains and the goods consumers rely on daily.
Walid Sheta, Schneider’s president for the Middle East and Africa zone, characterized the UAE’s position as reflecting market maturity rather than experimental early-stage adoption. “What distinguishes the UAE is not only the pace of adoption, but the confidence manufacturers have in AI’s ability to improve productivity, efficiency and resilience,” he said. That confidence, though, does not erase caution. Among surveyed manufacturers, 38 percent identified cybersecurity as a leading concern as AI implementations expand, a priority that will shape how factories approach equipment procurement and network connectivity as operations become increasingly digitized. For the public, that concern is not abstract: digitized supply chains and automated production systems carry real vulnerabilities that, if exploited, could disrupt the availability of essential goods.
The research was presented as Schneider concluded its two-day Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa in Abu Dhabi, which drew more than 2,500 attendees including government officials, customers and industry partners. UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri delivered the opening keynote, and French Ambassador to the UAE Marie Audouard attended, signaling the diplomatic weight both Paris and Abu Dhabi attach to industrial technology collaboration. Schneider Chief Executive Officer Olivier Blum framed the moment as a transition into what he called an “Era of Intelligence,” held under the summit theme “Advancing Energy Tech to Power Intelligence and Resilience.”
Meanwhile, the summit discussions pointed to a broader conceptual shift in how energy transition is being conceived. Rather than narrowing focus solely on decarbonization, the emphasis is moving toward building interconnected, intelligent systems capable of sustaining AI-powered economic growth. Across the Gulf, governments are channeling substantial resources into electrical grids, data centers and automation infrastructure to reduce dependence on hydrocarbon revenues, a structural change whose benefits and disruptions will be felt unevenly across different segments of the workforce.
Schneider used the summit to expand its footprint in the UAE’s emerging technology ecosystem. The company signed an agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Tourism to establish the NEST Accelerator Programme, a 12-week initiative designed to support early-stage companies working in energy technology, industrial technology and enterprise AI. The program operates through a third-party accelerator under Schneider’s oversight. The company also unveiled a 3,000-square-meter Innovation Hub in Abu Dhabi, featuring its Data Cube platform alongside offerings in smart buildings, sustainable data centers, industrial automation, water systems and mobility solutions. The facility reflects a strategy of marketing integrated hardware-and-software solutions rather than isolated products.
Senior executives from across Schneider’s portfolio participated in summit sessions, including Frederic Godemel from energy management, Hany Fouda from process automation, Manish Kumar from secure power, Pankaj Sharma from software and services, and Peter Weckesser from digital operations.
For the UAE’s general public, the more demanding question is not whether manufacturers are adopting AI quickly, but whether that speed translates into tangible improvements in productivity, product quality and economic resilience that reach beyond factory floors.