From Pilots to Performance: How MENA’s Marketing Leaders Are Powering the Next Wave of AI Transformation

The AI Transformation Pulse, presented by the Advertising Business Group (ABG) and IPSOS, made waves at Expand North Star 2025, revealing how advertisers, agencies, and media professionals across the MENA region are transitioning from experimentation to enterprise-scale AI adoption.

A Region on the Cusp of AI Maturity

The findings highlight a fast-evolving landscape — but also a critical opportunity gap.

While AI fluency is rising, most professionals remain occasional users:

• 57% understand AI well but use it only sometimes.
• 26% are expert users integrating AI daily.
• 17% still have only basic knowledge.

The next step for the industry is clear: turning AI curiosity into consistent, value-generating capability.

Senior Leaders Are Leading the Charge

AI adoption is strongest at the top — with 74% of executives using AI tools daily — showing that senior decision-makers are already embedding AI into strategy and workflow. Yet the report also found that many junior and mid-level teams lack access to structured AI training, limiting the pace of full-scale transformation.

How MENA’s Marketers Are Using AI

AI is already driving tangible business impact across marketing and media:

• 68% use AI for content generation and creative production.
• 66% leverage it for business intelligence and data analysis.
• 45% apply it to customer insights and personalisation.
• 38% automate repetitive operational tasks.

However, adoption remains low in emerging areas such as legal, compliance, HR, and recruitment, pointing to clear opportunities for future enablement.

Balancing Efficiency with Ethics

Marketers across the region are optimistic about AI’s potential —

• 75% believe AI will make their work more efficient, and
• 59% expect better, data-driven decision-making.

Yet the excitement is tempered by real concerns:

57% worry about data privacy and security,

47% fear job displacement, and

only 16% believe AI will create new roles.

This duality underscores the urgent need for transparent governance and ethical frameworks that support innovation without compromising trust.

Governance & Trust: Still a Work in Progress

Only 27% of organisations in the study have well-defined AI governance policies in place, while 43% are still developing them. The gaps are most evident in accountability, transparency, and bias mitigation — with fewer than 10% of professionals fully trusting AI-generated insights.

The Path Forward: Four Imperatives for 2026

The AI Transformation Pulse outlines four key actions for organisations aiming to build mature AI ecosystems:

• Move from occasional to consistent use through targeted enablement.
• Scale beyond pilots with robust governance and measurable outcomes.
• Prioritise trust and ethics to strengthen confidence and adoption.
• Democratise upskilling to ensure every team member can work effectively with AI.

The message is clear: MENA’s marketing ecosystem is ready for AI-driven growth — but success will depend on training, transparency, and trust.

Looking Ahead: Expand North Star 2026 at Expo City Dubai

The conversation continues at Expand North Star 2026, returning 8–10 December 2026 at Expo City Dubai, the new global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Join the region’s leading tech pioneers, marketers, investors, and digital visionaries as they shape the future of AI, creativity, and connected business.

Register your interest now for Expand North Star 2026 and be part of the next chapter in MENA’s innovation story.