Science & Tech · AI · 5 hrs ago
Saudi businesses shift focus from AI adoption to measurable returns
Saudi businesses are being urged to measure what AI delivers, not just whether they use it.
The share of internet-using businesses that used AI rose to 33.1% in 2025, up from 27.6% the year before.
Information and communications businesses had the highest use rate, at 61.1%.
iSolution CEO Faisal Qamhiyah said companies should start with a real business problem and connect AI tools to the systems and work processes they already use.
The company says its work with Walaa Insurance cut rework by 70%, while a cloud infrastructure project for Kadanah took two months to complete.
Saudi Arabia is also building skills, with more than 1.2 million people graduating from the Samai initiative, according to figures announced in September 2026.
The next step is to track AI’s actual returns, improve local skills and system integration, and keep human oversight in decisions affecting customers and businesses.
Saudi businesses are shifting from adopting artificial intelligence to measuring its effects on productivity, costs and service speed.
iSolution CEO Faisal Qamhiyah said businesses need to connect AI tools to real operational problems and existing systems.
AI use among Saudi businesses that use the internet reached 33.1% in 2025, up from 27.6% in 2024.
The information and communications sector had the highest reported AI use, at 61.1%.
iSolution reported that a project with Walaa Insurance reduced rework by 70%.
- Who
- Saudi businesses, as described by iSolution CEO Faisal Qamhiyah.
- What
- Businesses are shifting their focus from adopting AI to measuring its operational and economic returns.
- When
- AI use reached 33.1% in 2025; the article was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- Businesses are seeking measurable gains in productivity, costs and service speed by connecting AI to operational needs and existing systems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
AI use among Saudi businesses that use the internet was 27.6%.
AI use among those businesses rose to 33.1%, according to the General Authority for Statistics.
Official figures showed that more than 1.2 million people had graduated from the Samai initiative.
The Al Eqtisadiah annual forum was held at King Salman Park in Riyadh.
Al Eqtisadiah published Qamhiyah’s comments on the shift towards measuring AI returns.
- AI use in 2025
- 33.1% of Saudi businesses that use the internet
- AI use in 2024
- 27.6% of Saudi businesses that use the internet
- Leading sector
- Information and communications, at 61.1% AI use
- Walaa Insurance project
- Rework reduced by 70%
- Samai initiative
- More than 1.2 million graduates as of figures announced in September 2026
What people are saying
For it to move from a limited experiment to an influential business tool, it must be connected to core systems, such as resource management, customer and supply chain systems, alongside developing work procedures and training employees to use and verify the results.
Sources
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