New HSBC research ranks UAE investors among the world’s highest adopters of AI in finance. They are bolder than almost any investors on earth, and they still place a human at the center of their most important decisions. 

by Zaara Abbas, Digital Media Reporter at Tech Revolt

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here is a pattern in the portfolios of the Gulf’s most sophisticated investors, and HSBC has now quantified it. Investors in the UAE are among the most AI-literate people on earth when it comes to money. They use the technology at rates that leave Western counterparts well behind. And yet, when real capital moves, they consistently want a human being in the room. 

That is the central finding of HSBC’s new report, The Human-AI Advantage, based on a survey of 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth individuals across 10 markets, including 703 in the UAE. Conducted by Ipsos between 6 January and 6 February 2026, it covers investors aged 21 to 69 with at least $100,000 in investable assets. The UAE investor it describes is deeply comfortable with artificial intelligence, bolder in risk appetite because of it, and still reliant on professional advice at the point of decision. 

A new hybrid emerges, and the UAE is leading it 

The adoption numbers are clear. 98 percent of UAE investors use AI in some part of their lives, matching India for the highest rate of the ten markets and running well ahead of the UK at 76 percent and the US at 75 percent. 83 percent use it specifically for finance and investment, against a global average of 73 percent, leaning on it most for analysis and research, cited by 78 percent, and for strategy support, cited by 61 percent. The benefits they value are telling. Roughly a third cite greater confidence when discussing options with an adviser, while others point to comparing investments and reducing emotional bias. Whatever the use case, the pattern remains consistent. AI is the most powerful tool being used for preparation and gathering data. However, while confidence in investors shoots up, an investment is not complete without input from a financial professional. Financial professionals are the leading source of UAE investors’ last investment idea, at 61 percent, and the most influential voice in the final call, at 34 percent, nearly three times the 13 percent attributed to AI tools. The gap is structural, not subtle. 

AI Makes UAE Investors Bolder. Advisers Give Them Conviction

The technology’s effect on risk appetite is among the report’s most striking results. 63 percent of UAE investors say AI makes them more willing to take better-calculated risks, second only to India at 64 percent and far above the global average of 49 percent. The US sits at 44 percent and the UK at 39 percent. UAE investors also credit AI with 36 percent of their returns over the past year, against a 33 percent global average. 

The footprint extends beyond investing. 74 percent say AI is improving their quality of life, well above the 63 percent global average, and more than a third say it has widened their sense of professional possibility or given them the confidence to pursue high-risk, high-reward opportunities. 

The sequence, not the choice 

The data can be seen as a sequence, where AI is followed by human intervention. Not a competition between the two. UAE investors use AI to explore, research and stress-test assumptions, then arrive at adviser conversations better prepared. When commitment is required, they turn to professionals for what the technology cannot supply. Asked what advisers offer that AI cannot, a third cite the ability to know when AI-generated information might be wrong, a third cite human judgement and emotional validation, and 31 percent say advisers keep them on track toward their goals. 

Barry O’Byrne, CEO of International Wealth and Premier Banking at HSBC, frames the dynamic as sequencing rather than substitution. 

“Clients aren’t choosing between AI and professional advice – they’re sequencing both. AI is helping clients explore faster, but when they reach the moment of decision, they want a trusted human checkpoint for context and validation. That is why we are accelerating adviser-enabled AI in wealth, including Wealth Intelligence – bringing together HSBC research and external information, so our Relationship Managers have timely insights and can focus on what clients value most: emotional and practical support that leads to better decisions and stronger outcomes.” 

HSBC’s institutional response 

The report arrives as HSBC rolls out Wealth Intelligence, a large language model platform drawing on more than 10,000 data sources, including HSBC research and external news feeds, to brief Relationship Managers before client meetings.  

Craig Worobec, Head of Wealth and Premier Solutions for the UAE and Middle East at HSBC, reads the findings as a reflection of the country’s place in the global AI landscape. 

“The UAE is one of the most AI-fluent societies in the world, and our research shows that ambition runs right through to how people invest. UAE investors are among the world’s most confident users of AI – and among the boldest – yet they tell us clearly that they still want a trusted human checkpoint before they commit. That is exactly the model we are building here: pairing the speed and breadth of AI with the judgement of an experienced adviser, so clients can act with both confidence and conviction. As the UAE advances its national AI ambitions, we want our clients to feel the benefit of that progress in their own financial lives.” 

The National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 positions the technology as a pillar of economic diversification, and the recently established Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority consolidates the country’s data, AI, and digital-government capabilities under one framework. In that context, the behavior HSBC documents look like an early signal of what high-trust AI adoption looks like at scale. 

Ultimately the data describes not an either-or but a division of labor. UAE investors have not decided whether to trust AI or people; they have worked out what each is for. AI builds the confidence to explore while advisers supply the conviction to act.  

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