The MENA Honeymoon Is Over: Why Workers Are Losing Faith in AI

The Reality Check: Why AI's Workplace Honeymoon Is Ending Across the MENA region

There's a moment every team goes through with AI. That first win. The prompt that nails a product description in seconds. The summary that saves an hour. The image that would have cost a photographer and a studio. And then there's the other moment. The one where an AI confidently generates a completely fabricated statistic. Or where you spend two hours wrestling with a prompt only to end up doing the task manually anyway. Or where the tool that was supposed to make everything faster somehow makes everything worse. Tabby Farrar knows both moments well. Farrar is head of search at **Candour**, a UK-based SEO and web design agency. Her team is genuinely keen to embrace AI, but for every workflow where AI actually saves time, there are half a dozen that leave them feeling like the technology is useless.

"As a manager, I'm trying to get the team more on board with AI stuff, because it's the future of so many industries," Farrar said. "There's just so many people going, 'I have lost two hours of my day trying to make this thing work.'"

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone.

The Global Confidence Crash

A January 2026 study from **ManpowerGroup** delivered a striking finding. For the first time in three years, workers' confidence in AI actually declined. Usage jumped 13% year on year, reaching 45% of the global workforce. But confidence in the technology dropped 18%. Let that sink in. More people are using AI than ever, and fewer of them trust it. This mirrors what we've been tracking in our analysis of how MENA workers are navigating this AI adoption paradox.

"You can't have an intimidated workforce and be fully productive," said Mara Stefan, VP of global insights for ManpowerGroup. "That anxiety is going to cause real problems."

The numbers tell a broader story too. While 89% of workers feel confident in their current roles, 43% now fear automation could replace their job within the next two years. That's a 5% increase from 2025. This anxiety is driving what ManpowerGroup calls "job hugging," with 64% of workers planning to stay put with their current employer.

By The Numbers

45% of global workforce now uses AI at work, up 13% year on year
18% drop in worker confidence in AI technology since 2025
77% AI adoption rate in India, leading globally
28% of organisations can translate AI use into meaningful business outcomes
56% of workers report receiving no recent AI training

An **EY Work Reimagined** report from November 2025 found that while roughly nine in 10 employees are using AI at work, only 28% of organisations can translate that into meaningful business outcomes. Workers may be saving a few hours here and there, but nothing that fundamentally changes how work gets done.

the Middle East and North Africa's Uneven AI Landscape

For those watching these trends unfold across the Middle East and North Africa, the regional picture adds complexity. ManpowerGroup's data shows India leading globally in AI adoption at 77%, while the UAE reports the lowest overall worker sentiment at just 48%. The variance is enormous, suggesting that challenges around confidence and training aren't uniform but culturally and contextually specific. This aligns with patterns we've observed in the UAE's SME sector, where employees race ahead on AI adoption while management struggles to keep pace. The gap between adoption enthusiasm and workforce readiness has become one of the Middle East and North Africa's defining AI themes.

For related analysis, see: [Huang's Dire Warning on US-Saudi Arabia Tech War](/news/huang-dire-warning-us-saudi-arabia-tech-war).

Region/Country	AI Adoption Rate	Worker Sentiment	Training Gap
India	77%	High	Moderate
the UAE	35%	48%	High
the MENA region	52%	Mixed	High
Global Average	45%	Declining	High

A recent **Harvard Business Review** piece adds important nuance. Researchers found that when employees gain access to AI, they don't just work faster. They work broader, take on more tasks, and extend into more hours of the day. AI isn't necessarily reducing the burden of work. In some cases, it's intensifying it.

The Training Void That's Killing Confidence

More than half of ManpowerGroup's respondents (56%) reported receiving no recent training. And 57% said they had no access to mentorship. Workers are being handed powerful tools with almost no guidance on how to use them effectively. Kristin Ginn, founder of **trnsfrmAItn**, points to the mismatch between marketing demos and workplace reality as a key driver of the confidence drop. Those slick demos make everything look easy. But the reality involves significant trial and error that many workers aren't prepared for.

"If you're now starting to look at how you can use AI for the same task, you all of a sudden have to put a lot more mental effort into trying to figure out how to do this in a completely different way," Ginn said. "That loss of the routine, the confidence of how I'm doing it, that can also just go back to the human nature to avoid change."

The organisations that address this challenge effectively will benefit most. As we've seen in our coverage of why AI transformation projects fail, the companies that succeed treat this as a people problem, not just a technology one.

For related analysis, see: [What Your AI Voice Says Without Saying It](/business/what-your-ai-voice-says-without-saying-it).

The Gatekeepers Emerge

For some leaders, preventing confidence erosion has become a significant part of their role. Randall Tinfow, CEO of **REACHUM**, estimates he spends about 20 hours of his 70-hour work week vetting AI tools and partners. His goal is to shield his team from the noise and only hand them tools that actually work.

"There's so much noise, and I don't want our team to get distracted by that, so I'm the one who will take a look at something, decide whether it is reasonable or garbage, and then give it to the team to work with," Tinfow said.

This gatekeeper role is playing out across the Middle East and North Africa's business landscape too. In organisations where AI adoption is moving fast, often driven by regional competition and government incentives, someone needs to be the filter. The alternative is frustration, wasted time, and the kind of confidence erosion that data is capturing. Back at **Candour**, Farrar's team has developed practical strategies for managing AI reality:

Build in extra time to account for the learning curve and potential failures
Frame experiments as "test and learn" to reduce pressure for perfect results
Appoint AI champions to stay current with developments and share knowledge
Run regular training sessions and honest check-ins about frustrations
Focus on specific use cases where AI delivers clear value rather than broad deployment

Some efforts have delivered real results. The team built a Gemini Gem trained on brand guidelines that generates quotes clients can approve for media use. But Farrar remains clear-eyed about expectations.

For related analysis, see: [Disney Orders Google to Cease AI Copyright Violations](/news/disney-orders-google-to-cease-ai-copyright-violations).

What This Means for MENA Businesses

With India at 77% AI adoption and the UAE at the bottom of the sentiment table, the MENA region represents both the most enthusiastic embrace of AI and some of the deepest anxieties about it. This reflects broader patterns we've documented in how MENA businesses are approaching AI strategy. the MENA region sits somewhere in the middle, with governments aggressively pushing AI readiness while workforces grapple with training gaps and confidence challenges. The companies that will come out ahead aren't the ones deploying the most AI tools. They're the ones investing in their people alongside the technology. That means training, mentorship, psychological safety to experiment and fail, and leaders willing to be honest that AI isn't magic. It's a tool that requires skill, patience, and ongoing refinement. As we've explored in our analysis of the Middle East and North Africa's AI training gap, the technical infrastructure is often ahead of human readiness.

How can companies rebuild AI confidence among workers?

Start with realistic expectations and proper training. Focus on specific, measurable use cases rather than broad AI deployment. Create psychological safety for experimentation and failure while providing ongoing support and mentorship.

Why is AI adoption highest in India but sentiment mixed globally?

India's tech-forward workforce and digital infrastructure support rapid adoption. However, global sentiment reflects the gap between AI's marketing promises and workplace reality, where tools often require significant learning and refinement.

For related analysis, see: [NYT vs OpenAI copyright lawsuit is like Hollywood's early fi](/business/nyts-ai-lawsuit-evokes-memories-of-hollywoods-early-fight-against-vcrs).

What's the biggest mistake companies make with AI implementation?

Treating AI as a technology problem rather than a people problem. Successful implementation requires investment in training, change management, and ongoing support, not just tool deployment.

How long does it typically take for teams to see genuine AI productivity gains?

Most teams need three to six months of consistent use
training to move beyond the initial learning curve
achieve meaningful productivity improvements
assuming proper support
realistic use case selection

Should MENA businesses slow down AI adoption given these confidence issues?

No, but they should be more strategic. Focus on specific, high-value use cases with proper training and support rather than broad deployment. The key is managing expectations while building genuine capability.

Further reading: Reuters | OECD AI Observatory

THE AI IN ARABIA VIEW

The rapid adoption of generative AI tools across the Arab world reflects both the region's digital readiness and its appetite for productivity gains. But the real test lies ahead: moving beyond consumer-level prompt engineering to enterprise-grade AI integration that transforms how organisations operate and compete.

The AIinArabia View: the Middle East and North Africa's AI confidence crisis isn't a reason to retreat but a wake-up call for better implementation. The region's diverse adoption patterns, from India's enthusiasm to the UAE's caution, highlight that one-size-fits-all approaches won't work. Companies that invest in proper training, realistic expectations, and human-centred change management will build sustainable competitive advantages. The honeymoon is over, but the real relationship with AI is just beginning. Success belongs to organisations that treat this as a marathon of capability building, not a sprint to deployment.

The honeymoon with AI is officially over. What comes next depends entirely on whether organisations treat this as a technology problem or a people problem. The data strongly suggests it's the latter. Are you experiencing similar AI confidence challenges in your workplace? Drop your take in the comments below. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Q: How is the Middle East positioning itself in the global AI race?

Several MENA nations, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have committed billions in sovereign AI infrastructure, talent development, and regulatory frameworks. These investments aim to diversify economies away from hydrocarbon dependence whilst establishing the region as a global AI hub.

### Q: What role does government policy play in MENA's AI development?

Government policy is the primary driver. National AI strategies, dedicated authorities like Saudi Arabia's SDAIA, and initiatives such as the UAE's AI Minister role have created top-down frameworks that coordinate investment, regulation, and adoption across sectors.

### Q: What AI skills are most in demand in the Middle East?

The most sought-after AI skills include machine learning engineering
data science
NLP (particularly Arabic NLP)
computer vision
AI product management

### Q: How are businesses in the Arab world adopting generative AI?

Adoption is accelerating across sectors, with enterprises deploying generative AI for content creation, customer service automation, code generation, and internal knowledge management. The Gulf's digital-first business culture is proving to be a strong tailwind for adoption.