Nintex research finds 86% of Saudi organisations believe automation is key for successful AI adoption
RIYADH: As organisations across Saudi Arabia accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence, research from Nintex, a global leader in agentic business orchestration, has uncovered that many AI initiatives struggle to deliver measurable business value unless organisations first establish strong automation foundations.
The findings, based on a survey of C-suite and senior managers directly involved in AI implementation across 100 Saudi companies with more than 250 employees, reveal that a significant majority recognise the importance of automation in preparing their operations for AI. In fact, 62% said that combining AI with automation has delivered the strongest business outcomes, whilst 86% believe automation is a necessary first step before successfully implementing AI in business processes, highlighting the critical role automation plays in structuring workflows, improving data quality, and enabling AI to scale effectively.
Across the Kingdom, businesses are already moving to strengthen these foundations, as the survey found that 82% of Saudi organisations plan to implement formal automation strategies within the next seven to 12 months, whilst 43% report having already begun to automate processes across different parts of their business, demonstrating meaningful progress toward building the operational frameworks required for enterprise AI adoption.
“Saudi organisations clearly recognise the potential of AI, but the organisations that realise the greatest value will be those that first put the right operational foundations in place,” said Samir Akel, Regional Vice President at Nintex. “Automation provides the structure that allows AI to operate effectively by connecting systems, improving data quality, and ensuring insights can translate into real operational improvements.”
For many CIOs, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to demonstrate its value. As organisations invest heavily in AI technologies, expectations from boards and executive leadership teams are shifting from experimentation to measurable outcomes that improve efficiency, support faster decision-making, and contribute directly to business performance. CIOs are also facing increasing pressure to demonstrate clear ROI, manage growing data complexity, and make faster decisions as organisations expand their use of AI across business-critical workflows.
However, AI systems are only as effective as the processes and data environments that support them. Without structured workflows and well-managed data flows, organisations often struggle to translate AI insights into real operational impact. Automation helps address this challenge by standardising processes, connecting systems, and ensuring data moves through the organisation in a consistent and governed way. In essence, automation enhances the effectiveness of AI, allowing organisations to unlock its full potential.
“AI has enormous potential to transform how organisations operate, but technology alone does not deliver business outcomes,” adds Akel. “What we are seeing across Saudi Arabia is a growing recognition that automation provides the operational foundation that allows AI to succeed. When organisations automate their processes and structure their data effectively, AI can deliver faster insights, support better decision-making, and ultimately drive measurable impact on the bottom line.”
The research also found that organisations are increasingly recognising the value of combining both technologies from the outset. Half of respondents (50%) report that AI and automation are now being designed together from the start, reflecting a growing maturity in how organisations approach digital transformation.
The findings highlight how Saudi organisations are increasingly taking a structured approach to digital transformation as part of the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 economic diversification and digital transformation ambitions. By prioritising automation and process orchestration, CIOs are creating the conditions needed for AI to deliver scalable, enterprise-wide value across sectors such as government, financial services, energy, and large-scale enterprise organisations.
As AI adoption continues to accelerate, the research suggests the organisations that will realise the greatest benefits are those that focus not only on deploying new technologies, but on building the operational foundations required to support them, ensuring AI initiatives move beyond experimentation and deliver sustained business impact.
