PwC study shows 67% of executive leaders in Saudi Arabia are accountable for AI outcomes

A recent study by PwC Middle East reveals a structural shift in how organizations in Saudi Arabia approach artificial intelligence technologies, with companies moving past exploratory trials and limited pilots to link the technology directly to operational performance indicators, productivity, customer experience, and financial growth.

The study findings show that 78% of participating organizations in Saudi Arabia align their AI strategies with broader business objectives, compared to around 65% globally. This focus is no longer confined to information technology departments, with direct responsibility shifting to executive leadership; 67% of respondents in the Kingdom confirmed that senior management is now directly accountable for the outcomes and returns of these investments, compared to a global average of 54%.

This shift reflects the convergence of investment ambition and digital infrastructure, prompting companies to treat AI as a tool for re-engineering operations rather than just add-on software.Vivek Sharma, partner and technology and AI practice leader at PwC Middle East, notes that the Kingdom benefits from aligning national plans with directed investment and capacity building, which explains why companies are allocating substantial shares of their resources to develop applications and alter daily execution workflows.

In daily operations, 51% of Saudi organizations reported re-engineering workflows to embed intelligent systems into core tasks, compared to 32% globally. This measure contributed to 60% of respondents reporting noticeable or very noticeable improvements in employee productivity, particularly in data analysis, routine task management, and processing large information flows, as autonomous intelligent agent systems enter deployment to automate sequential and complex workflows.

Despite this progress, Saudi organizations score 6.4 out of 10 on the AI readiness and maturity index, compared to 7.1 points among leading global organizations achieving sustainable financial returns from AI. Additionally, only 53% of respondents confirmed having structured mechanisms to accurately measure operational and financial impact, making the measurement of real returns the primary challenge at this stage.

For chief executives and technical team leaders in the region, this reality means shifting focus from purchasing licenses and deploying off-the-shelf models toward governing applications and setting clear boundaries for agentic systems interacting with financial decisions and customer experience. Operational success is no longer tied to the number of intelligent tools used within an organization, but to the internal team's ability to turn these systems into measurable productivity gains while retaining human control over critical pathways in the local business environment.