AI jobs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are real and growing, but they are concentrated in a small number of employers. On Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 we listed 88 machine learning and AI jobs at 39 companies and 74 data science jobs at 44 companies across the Gulf, all in English (ML and AI jobs, data science jobs). Dubai had the most AI jobs, Abu Dhabi the biggest AI employers, and Riyadh a fast-growing mix of government-backed and private AI companies.
This guide covers where the jobs are, who hires, what they pay, and how visas work for AI and data people. Counts come from our own board, which lists only English-speaking employers, so they are a sample rather than the whole market.
AI and data jobs by city
| City | ML and AI jobs | Data science jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | 26 | 24 |
| Abu Dhabi | 23 | 10 |
| Riyadh | 17 | 10 |
| Doha | 7 |
Counts from Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026. The rest are remote or in other cities. Machine learning and AI made up 7% of all 1,307 live jobs in our October 2026 report, and data science another 6%. LLMs were named in 124 ads, or 9% (LLM jobs), and PyTorch in 47 (PyTorch jobs).
AI jobs in Dubai
Dubai’s AI jobs are spread across many company types. On the day we checked, the biggest group was at Tether, which had about 12 AI roles, many of them fully remote. Others were at consultancies such as Boston Consulting Group, at trading firms and fintechs, and at global vendors such as Oracle. Across the Gulf, the data science employers with the most jobs on the board included Capitex, Qube Research & Technologies, Mozn and Artefact.
If you want an AI engineer job in Dubai, the employers on our board fall into three groups: product companies building on LLMs, consultancies running AI projects for clients, and trading firms hiring for ML and data roles.
Machine learning jobs in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is home to some of the region’s largest AI employers. G42, an Abu Dhabi technology group, had about 7 AI roles listed on 16 October 2026, and its businesses such as Core42 and Presight hire too. The Technology Innovation Institute, part of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, runs research centres including AI and digital science, and has released Arabic AI models. Other AI employers in Abu Dhabi on our board include AI71, DeepLight, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mistral AI, which had jobs listed in Abu Dhabi.
AI jobs in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s AI push is led by the state. The Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), based in Riyadh, is “the competent authority in the Kingdom concerned with data and AI”, and its goals include building national data and AI expertise and leadership in Arabic language technologies (SDAIA). HUMAIN, a company of the Public Investment Fund, builds AI infrastructure, cloud, models and applications, including the Arabic-first ALLaM model co-developed with SDAIA (HUMAIN).
On our board, Riyadh’s 17 AI jobs on 16 October 2026 came from IT services firms (InnovationTeam, TAWANTECH, NTT DATA), AI companies such as Mozn, and product companies such as Foodics and Salla. Riyadh ads on the day included AI solution architect and data and AI transformation consultant roles, alongside hands-on ML engineering. Our guide to tech jobs in Saudi Arabia covers the wider market.
Remote AI jobs
AI is the most remote-friendly field on the board. On 16 October 2026, 27 of the 88 ML and AI jobs (31%) were fully remote, and 15 of the 74 data science jobs (20%) (ML and AI jobs, data science jobs). Many are at global companies that hire in the Gulf time zones. See all remote jobs.
Data scientist salary in Dubai and the Gulf
Very few Gulf AI ads publish a salary. On 16 October 2026, only 4 of 88 ML and AI ads stated one, between USD 80,000 and 170,000 a year, and 5 of 74 data science ads, mostly between USD 71,000 and 222,000 (ML and AI jobs, data science jobs).
Self-reported data from Levels.fyi, read on 16 October 2026, gives a wider view. It counts total compensation, including bonus and equity, and the samples are small:
| Role and country | Median total pay a year | Middle 50% | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data scientist, UAE | AED 420,057 | AED 360K to 480K | 32 |
| Data scientist, Saudi Arabia | SAR 360,075 | SAR 300K to 475K | 12 |
| ML engineer, UAE | AED 144,020 | AED 96K to 300K | not stated |
AED 420,057 a year is about AED 35,000 a month. Levels.fyi doesn’t split Dubai from Abu Dhabi. The ML engineer figure is surprisingly low next to the data scientist one, which shows how much a few submissions can move a small sample. Treat all of these as a rough range, not a market rate.
Ranges this wide mean the employer and your level matter more than the city. Check how an offer splits into basic salary and allowances: our guide on how to read a Gulf job offer explains why it matters, and the salary after tax calculator shows your take-home pay.
AI jobs for freshers
Entry-level AI roles are rare. Across all 1,307 jobs on the board in October 2026, only 19 were internships and 43 junior roles, against 358 senior roles (report). Most AI and data roles we list are senior. If you are starting out:
- apply to internships and graduate programmes at large employers in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
- consider data analyst or data engineering roles first, then move into ML
- build a public portfolio: a deployed model, an evaluation write-up, or open-source contributions
Visas for AI and data workers
Your employer sponsors your work visa in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Only a few AI ads say so outright: 3 of 88 ML and AI jobs and 5 of 74 data science jobs mentioned visa sponsorship on 16 October 2026, at companies including DeepLight, Oracle, Capitex and Property Finder. See jobs with visa sponsorship.
AI specialists often qualify for long-term residence:
- UAE Golden Visa. The skilled professionals route needs a job at MOHRE level 1 or 2, a bachelor’s degree and a monthly salary of at least AED 30,000. ICP also lists 10-year categories for “talents in the field of digital technology” and for leading specialists in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (ICP). Our UAE Golden Visa guide explains the salary rule.
- Saudi Premium Residency. The Special Talent track for health and scientific talent needs a monthly salary of at least SAR 35,000, a bachelor’s degree, more than three years’ experience in a priority specialisation and an employer recommendation (Premium Residency Center).
Rules change, and this guide is not legal advice, so check the official pages before you apply.
Which skills Gulf AI employers ask for
Our October 2026 report counts the technologies named in all 1,307 live ads. The ones that matter most for AI and data work:
- Python: 381 ads (29%), the most named technology on the board
- Kubernetes, AWS and Azure: 226, 222 and 207 ads, for deploying and running models
- SQL: 201 ads
- Google Cloud: 152 ads
- LLMs: 124 ads (9%)
Arabic language skills are not required for any of the AI jobs we list, but Arabic NLP experience can help with employers building Arabic models, such as TII and HUMAIN.
How to apply
- Start from the role pages: machine learning and AI and data science, then filter by city.
- Apply on the employer’s own site. Every job on Gulf Dev Jobs links there.
- Prepare your degree for attestation early; it is needed for the work visa and for the Golden Visa. See our guide to degree attestation for UAE and Saudi work visas.
- Set a job alert for your role so you hear about new AI jobs the day they are posted.
Frequently asked questions
How many AI jobs are there in Dubai?
On Gulf Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 we listed 26 English-speaking machine learning and AI jobs in Dubai and 24 data science jobs. Across the whole Gulf there were 88 ML and AI jobs at 39 companies. These are jobs at companies where English is the working language, taken from the employers’ own careers pages.
What is the data scientist salary in Dubai?
Levels.fyi’s self-reported data, read on 16 October 2026, put the median UAE data scientist total compensation at AED 420,057 a year, or about AED 35,000 a month, from 32 submissions. It doesn’t split Dubai from Abu Dhabi. Pay varies a lot by employer type and seniority.
Are there remote AI jobs in the UAE?
Yes. On 16 October 2026, 27 of the 88 ML and AI jobs on Gulf Dev Jobs (31%) were fully remote, and 15 of 74 data science jobs (20%). Check each ad for where you need to live and which time zone you work in.
Which companies hire machine learning engineers in Abu Dhabi?
On our board, G42 and its businesses such as Core42 and Presight, AI71, DeepLight, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mistral AI were hiring in Abu Dhabi. The Technology Innovation Institute also hires researchers and engineers in AI and digital science.
Can foreigners get AI jobs in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. On 16 October 2026 we listed 17 English-speaking ML and AI jobs in Riyadh, and none asked for Arabic. Employers include IT services firms, consultancies and Saudi AI companies such as Mozn. Your employer sponsors your work visa, and senior specialists may qualify for Premium Residency.
Is it hard to get an AI job in the Gulf as a fresher?
Yes, harder than with experience. Only 19 internships and 43 junior roles were live across all 1,307 jobs on the board in October 2026, against 358 senior roles. Data analyst and data engineering roles are a common way in.