GCC Employees Embrace AI As a Workplace Tool – But Draw The Line at Letting It Make Decisions About People

Latest GCC People Pulse from EXE and Ipsos finds 83% of employees use employer-provided AI

REPORTS AND CASE STUDIES

EXE and Ipsos

10/17/20265 min read

Employees across the GCC are embracing artificial intelligence as a workplace tool, but remain significantly less comfortable when AI is given authority over decisions that directly affect people, according to the latest GCC People Pulse: Word on Work, a workforce sentiment tracker from EXE: Employee Experience Exchange and Ipsos.

The Q3 2026 report, based on 1,700 employees across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, finds that 83% of employees use AI tools provided by their organisation at least occasionally, with more than half using them weekly. However, only 44% are comfortable with AI making the final decision on a job application, compared with 59% who would participate in an AI-led screening interview.

The findings point to a clear distinction in employee attitudes: people are increasingly willing to accept AI support, but are much less comfortable with AI authority.

“AI adoption is no longer simply a question of whether organisations have the technology,” said Ruth Dance, Co-Founder of EXE. “The Q3 findings show that employees want clarity about how AI is being used, confidence that they have the skills to work with it, and reassurance that human judgement remains where decisions matter most. Organisations that focus only on deploying AI risk creating a trust gap between leadership and the people expected to use and live with these technologies.”

AI adoption is strong – but capability remains uneven

The report finds that access to AI alone does not guarantee adoption. While 77% of employees say they are clear about how AI should be used at work, only 63% say their organisation is helping them build the AI skills they need.

Employees who have both clarity on how to use AI and support to build their skills are significantly more likely to use AI weekly, with 71% using AI weekly when both conditions are present, compared with just 19% among those who have neither clarity nor capability support.

The gap is particularly pronounced at the front line. One in four team members do not use AI at work, while 17% report having no access to AI tools. By comparison, only 6% of senior leaders report having no access.

The findings suggest that organisations need to treat AI implementation as a people and capability challenge, rather than solely as a technology investment.

Employees resist AI taking control of hiring decisions

The research also highlights a significant trust challenge around AI in recruitment.

While 59% of employees would participate in a first-round screening interview conducted by an AI agent, acceptance falls to 44% when AI is responsible for making the final hiring decision.

Furthermore, 42% say they would withdraw from a recruitment process if they discovered that their application was being decided by AI, while 46% say they would be less likely to apply to an organisation that uses AI to make hiring choices.

The trust gap is even more pronounced between organisational levels. 67% of senior leaders are comfortable with AI making the final hiring decision, compared with just 34% of team members.

The report therefore highlights the importance of transparency, human accountability and clearly defined boundaries when organisations introduce AI into recruitment and other people-related decisions.

Workplace strain remains a significant and volatile risk

Alongside the rapid evolution of AI, employee strain remains a major workforce issue across the GCC.

51% of employees report feeling under constant strain at work, down from Q2, although strain remained the most volatile measure tracked during the quarter. It fell to 46% in July before rising again above 50% by September.

The relationship between AI concerns and employee wellbeing is particularly notable. 65% of employees who are concerned about the impact of AI on their job security report experiencing constant strain, compared with 38% among those who are not concerned.

Younger employees saw the largest improvement in strain, with employees aged 18–34 recording an eight-point decrease compared with Q2.

Front-line employees face a growing experience gap

The report also reveals a significant divide between senior leaders and team members.

While 92% of senior leaders would recommend their organisation as a great place to work, the figure falls to 72% among team members. Confidence in the organisation's future direction also declines from 91% among senior leaders to 74% among team members.

The biggest gap emerges around organisational change. 87% of senior leaders say they feel involved and prepared when changes are planned, compared with just 65% of team members.

Team members are also more than twice as likely as senior leaders to plan to leave their organisation within two years – 28% compared with 12% – and are nearly three times as likely to have no access to AI tools.

“The data shows that the front line cannot be treated as an afterthought in transformation,” said James Tarbit, Global Head of Employee Experience at Ipsos. “The people closest to the day-to-day reality of work are experiencing lower levels of involvement, confidence and access to emerging technologies. Organisations that want transformation to succeed need to bring these employees into the conversation much earlier.”

Trust and confidence continue to underpin retention

Despite the pressures identified in the report, overall employee sentiment remains relatively strong.

82% of employees would recommend their organisation as a great place to work, while 79% are confident about its future direction and 77% believe their leaders do what they say they will.

Intent to stay has also improved, with 79% planning to remain with their employer for three or more years, while 21% plan to leave within two years.

The report identifies confidence in organisational direction as a particularly strong predictor of retention. Employees who are confident in their organisation's direction are significantly more likely to plan to stay, with 86% intending to remain compared with 51% among those who lack confidence.

At the same time, the overall retention picture masks differences between employee groups. Expat employees are more than twice as likely as GCC nationals to plan to leave within two years, highlighting the need for organisations to consider retention risk across different workforce segments.

Turning insight into action

The Q3 findings point to several immediate priorities for GCC employers:

Treat employee strain as a live metric, rather than an annual engagement measure.

Define where AI stops, particularly when technology is being used for hiring and people decisions.

· Close the AI access gap at the front line, where employees are least likely to have access to AI tools.

· Pair every AI rollout with clarity and skills development.

· Involve team members earlier in organisational change.

· Protect trust by following through on leadership commitments.

· Ensure nationalisation progress does not mask expat attrition risk.

· Keep organisational direction visible and clearly communicated.

Lorna King, Co-Founder at EXE, said: “Transformation only lands when people feel part of it. Whether organisations are adapting to AI, navigating change or working to retain talent, tech is only on piece of the puzzle. Employees need to understand what’s changing, feel equipped to adapt and trust that their voices matter. For GCC employers, the opportunity is to turn insight into action, close the gaps between leaders and teams, and create workplaces where people feel motivated to stay.”

The GCC People Pulse: Word on Work was launched by EXE: Employee Experience Exchange and Ipsos in June 2026 as the region's first dedicated monthly workforce sentiment tracker. Q3 combines three monthly waves of online fieldwork conducted in July, August and September, covering employees across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

About EXE

Employee Experience Exchange

(EXE) is a UAE-based community on a mission to transform society by transforming work. We believe workplaces sit at the centre of our lives – and that when people thrive at work, communities and economies thrive too. We audit, advise and partner with organisations to create employee experiences that match their ambition. We bring together HR, internal communications, culture and leadership professionals across the GCC who share a belief that work can and should be better.

About Ipsos: Ipsos

is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 19,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.