Abu Dhabi:The UAE ranks first globally in citizen satisfaction with government digital services, with 89% of respondents rating them highly. This data comes from Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) sixth annual edition of its 2026 Digital Government Citizen Survey Report. The report was launched at AI Everything Abu Dhabi, highlighting the country's strong digital government experience and establishing a robust foundation for AI-enabled public services.
According to Emirates News Agency, the survey, conducted across 44 countries, also highlights the UAE's top position in government digital service usage at 53%. Notably, 76% of UAE respondents reported that their latest online government transaction provided a better experience than typical private-sector interactions, emphasizing the strength of the country's digital government ecosystem.
This strong digital foundation is extending into AI adoption, with 82% of UAE respondents using AI weekly. Furthermore, 53% of UAE respondents believe the benefits of AI in government outweigh the risks, compared to 49% across the GCC and 36% globally. However, the optimism towards AI has declined by 21% since 2024, prompting a shift toward a hybrid model of service delivery. Now, 50% prefer AI for simpler services while retaining human involvement for more complex interactions.
The BCG report indicates a strong appetite among GCC citizens for AI-enabled government services, with the region being the most AI-receptive globally. Practical applications include AI providing 24/7 access to information, supporting customer service agents, detecting fraud, and identifying eligible services for citizens. Despite this, only around 4% of GCC respondents prefer human-only services, compared to almost one in ten globally.
The GCC remains the only surveyed region where a majority of citizens rate government digital services above private-sector offerings, although this margin is decreasing. As governments move toward more advanced AI-enabled services, citizen AI literacy becomes crucial. GCC respondents with expert AI proficiency are four times more likely to see benefits over risks, highlighting the importance of AI literacy alongside visible safeguards to address concerns such as job loss and accuracy.
Dr. Lars Littig, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, emphasized the importance of building AI literacy and trust as citizens become more familiar with AI. The goal is to expand automation and agentic capabilities while retaining human judgment and embedding responsible safeguards where necessary.