The UAE has been ranked top globally in a new study on citizen satisfaction with digital government services, which are expected to lay a “strong foundation” for the next phase of services powered by artificial intelligence.
Nearly 90 per cent of respondents to the Boston Consulting Group survey rated those services “highly” in the Emirates to outperform 43 other countries, the US consultancy said after the poll results were released on the sidelines of the AI Everything summit in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The survey was based on about 48,500 responses.
The UAE was also rated first for the use of digital government services, at 53 per cent, with more than three quarters claiming their latest online government transaction “delivered a better experience” than their typical private-sector interaction, it said.
That is reflected in the Gulf – represented by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the survey – as it was the only region surveyed in which a majority of citizens rated government services as better than the private sector, BCG said.
“The UAE’s strong digital government experience reflects years of investment in making public services more accessible, seamless and responsive to citizens’ needs,” said Rami Mourtada, a partner and director at BCG.
Gulf citizens are becoming increasingly neutral towards the use of artificial intelligence, with 53 per cent of respondents in the UAE saying AI's benefits outweigh its risks. Saudi Arabia and Qatar posted 50 per cent and 46 per cent, to bring the Gulf average to 49 per cent.
That is markedly higher than the 27 per cent in Europe, 30 per cent in North America, 37 per cent in the Asia-Pacific and 36 per cent globally.
Additionally, the report pointed out that the Gulf is the most “AI-receptive” region in the world, with almost 80 per cent of citizens open to government interactions that are powered by AI, compared with 66 per cent globally.
“Governments have an opportunity to build on this foundation, with more AI-enabled experiences and process re-engineering to continue focusing on quality and convenience,” Mr Mourtada said. “This next phase will be about deploying AI where it creates clear value, while maintaining human expertise for more complex citizen needs.”
The adoption of AI and related technology have become a priority for the UAE, the Arab world's second-biggest economy, as it prepares for the future.
Part of its strategy is to ensure seamless government services backed by reliable and secure AI to save time and costs. The Emirates has encouraged entrepreneurship and is attracting investment to accelerate its AI agenda.
On Monday, a report from data science firm Dataiku found UAE companies and organisations have some of the highest rates of agentic AI adoption in the world.
“As citizens become more familiar with AI, building literacy and trust will be critical to sustained adoption,” said Lars Littig, managing director and senior partner at BCG.
“The opportunity is to move forward with AI in ways that reflect how citizens want to engage, expanding automation and agentic capabilities where they create value, while retaining human judgment and embedding responsible safeguards where they matter most.”
