Middle East organisations across architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) are leading global markets in converting artificial intelligence investments into tangible productivity and project delivery gains, according to new research from Autodesk.

Findings from Autodesk’s 2026 State of Design & Make: AI Pulse report reveal that an overwhelming 92% of regional respondents report productivity gains from AI deployment, outstripping the global average of 84%. Driven by high-volume project pipelines and tight completion schedules across the GCC, 87% of Middle East firms cited an urgent need to adopt AI—the highest level recorded worldwide, compared to the 68% global average.

Moving AI to Site Operations & Project Delivery

The data signals a decisive shift across regional AEC firms from early-stage digital experimentation to deep operational integration. Key adoption milestones across project delivery include:

• AI-Enabled Design Software: Usage reached 57% across design and engineering teams.

• AI-Powered Project Management: Adoption within project management and site platforms rose to 49%.

• Generative & Agentic AI: Nearly half (49%) of regional firms substantially increased AI investments over the past year, with 56% planning to deploy autonomous "agentic AI" workflows within the next 12 months.

This accelerated tech adoption directly supports national development mandates, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, where smart infrastructure and digital construction workflows are required to meet mega-project deadlines.

Delivery Discipline and Data Foundations

Commenting on the regional results, Naji Atallah, Head of Construction and Manufacturing, EMEA Emerging at Autodesk, emphasized that productivity gains depend on data integrity across the asset lifecycle:

"The Middle East is moving faster than most markets from AI ambition to AI impact. But the real test is not how quickly organisations adopt AI. It is whether they can use it to deliver better projects, better decisions, and better-performing assets. AI will only create value if it is built on trusted data, connected workflows, and the discipline to reduce rework across the full project lifecycle. That is where construction and manufacturing leaders have an opportunity to turn investment into real delivery advantage."

Regionally, 91% of respondents expressed high confidence in their underlying data structure, and 90% affirmed their data security practices—providing a stronger framework for scaling AI than observed in Western markets.

Implementation Bottlenecks: Talent & Integration

Despite strong momentum, the report highlights clear operational friction points for AECO executives. The top hurdles facing regional implementation include a lack of specialized talent and skills (59%), high deployment costs (55%), and integration challenges with legacy systems (54%).

Furthermore, as AI tools integrate deeper into commercial operations, concerns surrounding data accuracy (rising from 33% to 48%) and cybersecurity (54%) have surpassed traditional workforce displacement fears, pointing to a more mature, risk-focused approach to digital transformation.