startAD dropped the AI Adoption Barometer this week. First of its kind for the Emirates. Abu Dhabi’s startup accelerator, powered by Tamkeen and sitting right inside New York University Abu Dhabi. It’s part of their AI for Good push. Backed by Google.org. They asked 52 organisations how they’re handling AI.
The money gap is real
Here’s the kicker.
81 percent of UAE healthcare players have nailed down specific AI use cases. Good. Solid. Then over half of those are actually piloting or running the tech. Impressive, really.
But then comes the hard stop.
42 percent say they have zero dedicated budget for AI.
Is that a trend? Maybe. It’s just one slice of the adoption cycle. But ignoring it doesn’t fix it. A lack of funds is a structural block, plain and simple. You can’t scale what you aren’t funding.
Social sector is still figuring it out
The social impact side is playing a different game entirely. Slower. Less funded. Many are still scratching their heads, trying to figure out where AI even fits in their mission.
How do you budget for something you haven’t defined yet?
The challenge runs deeper for social impact, where many are still defining use cases before they can think about deployment.
startAD didn’t just dump data. They threw in two playbooks to help teams move from “nice idea” to “working pilot.”
- AI Use Case Discovery: Takes non-tech folks from a vague idea to something you can actually test.
- Evaluate and Pilot: Walks you through checking solutions and running them responsibly.
Both live in the new AI Resource Hub. Open for anyone who needs them.
Progress on the ground? Yes.
The numbers aren’t all red.
startAD’s AI for Good programme ran 13 workshops. Talked to five orgs. Reported a 43 percent jump in readiness for participants. They pulled in close to 200 students and builders across the UAE, KSA, and MENA.
Real movement. But back to the healthcare stats. High adoption. No money. That’s the tension now. The sector wants it. It just hasn’t priced the ticket.
