{"id":78973,"date":"2025-07-30T16:02:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/?p=78973"},"modified":"2025-07-30T16:03:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:03:12","slug":"ibm-dff-study-saudi-arabias-thriving-ai-leadership-with-caio-roles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2025\/07\/30\/ibm-dff-study-saudi-arabias-thriving-ai-leadership-with-caio-roles\/","title":{"rendered":"IBM-DFF Study: Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Thriving AI Leadership with CAIO Roles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><em>C-Suite backing boosts Saudi Arabia&#8217;s AI efforts: 83% support for CAIOs<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Career backgrounds of Saudi CAIOs show a strong emphasis on data: 75% have focused on data, compared to 73% globally<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A new study by the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/thought-leadership\/institute-business-value\/en-us\">IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV)<\/a><\/strong> and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dubaifuture.ae\/ar\/\">Dubai Future Foundation (DFF)<\/a><\/strong>, reveals that Saudi Arabia&#8217;s approach to AI leadership aligns with global trends while also demonstrating distinct national priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research, which surveyed over 600 Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) across 22 countries, showcases Saudi Arabia\u2019s unique strengths and opportunities for growth in AI leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Saudi Arabia&#8217;s commitment to AI is evident in its adoption of CAIO roles and the support these leaders receive from senior executives,&#8221; said <strong>Fahad Alanazi, General Manager, IBM Saudi Arabia<\/strong>. &#8220;This study underscores the Kingdom&#8217;s strategic focus on AI, as reflected in its governance models, budget control, and a strong emphasis on building business cases for AI investments.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key findings from the study indicate that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>22% of organizations in Saudi Arabia have adopted the CAIO role, aligning closely to the global average (26%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saudi Arabian CAIOs have strong executive support, with 67% saying they get sufficient backing from the CEO and 83% saying they have broader C-suite support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A clear trend emerges in the professional backgrounds of Saudi CAIOs, with 75% saying they have focused on data in their careers, higher than the global average (73%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Saudi Arabia&#8217;s governance model stands out, with 50% of organizations adopting a hub-and-spoke AI operating model, reflecting Vision 2030&#8217;s sector-wide coordination. This aligns with global trends, where organizations using a centralized or hub-and-spoke model can achieve a 36% higher ROI on AI initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study underscores Saudi Arabia&#8217;s remarkable progress in AI leadership \u2013 Saudi CAIOs presently oversee 67% of AI budgets, outpacing the global average of 61%. Moreover, CAIOs prioritize building business cases for AI, with 58% doing so, above the global average of 45%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings also highlight strategic opportunities to further strengthen the country\u2019s position. 38% of Saudi CAIOs were appointed from within the organization, below the global average of 57%. Prioritizing internal talent development will cultivate a resilient workforce, ensuring continual growth in AI capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Saudi Arabia continues to invest in AI leadership, these findings serve as a roadmap for honing the country&#8217;s AI capabilities and maximizing the return on its AI investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>C-Suite backing boosts Saudi Arabia&#8217;s AI efforts: 83% support for CAIOs Career backgrounds of Saudi CAIOs show a strong emphasis on data: 75% have focused on data, compared to 73% globally A new study by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) and the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), reveals that Saudi Arabia&#8217;s approach to AI &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[227,3354,253],"class_list":["post-78973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communications-technology","tag-ai","tag-dff","tag-ibm"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - 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