The verdict in three sentences
An internal AI assistant that answers employees from group procedures (the RAG technique: search your documents, then give a sourced answer) is now a controlled project, provided security is handled before the model. For a Dubai group with 1,800 employees, count 45,000 to 90,000 AED for a prototype, 120,000 to 250,000 AED for full rollout and 1,000 to 4,500 AED a month in API costs. The decisive point is access control by department: a logistics employee must never get an answer drawn from a payroll document.
What the assistant handles and how much it saves
In a multi-entity group in Dubai (trading, real estate, services), support functions face repetitive questions: leave, expense claims, purchasing thresholds, ISO 9001 quality procedures, safety rules. On average, a question handled by an HR or procurement staff member takes 12 minutes between finding the right document and replying. At 2,500 questions a month, that is 500 hours monthly.
| Domain | Questions per month (estimate) | Example | Share handled by AI | Source documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human resources | 1,000 | leave entitlement, salary advance | 75 % | employee handbook, UAE labour law notes, HR circulars |
| Procurement | 600 | approval thresholds, approved vendors | 70 % | procurement policy, vendor list |
| Quality and HSE | 450 | incident procedure | 65 % | quality manual, safety sheets |
| IT | 300 | VPN access, password reset | 80 % | IT knowledge base |
| Finance | 150 | expense claims, travel allowances | 70 % | travel policy |
| Total | 2,500 | 72 % on average | 1,500 to 4,000 documents |
Budget and architecture in 2026
The project splits into two phases. The prototype (6 weeks) covers one domain, for example HR, with 300 documents and 50 pilot users. The rollout (6 more weeks) extends to all five domains, connects the company directory (Active Directory, Entra ID or Google Workspace) and adds a dashboard for unanswered questions.
| Item | Prototype (AED) | Full rollout (AED) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping, document mapping | 7,000 to 15,000 | 16,000 to 32,000 | identify up-to-date sources |
| Ingestion and indexing (RAG) | 15,000 to 30,000 | 32,000 to 65,000 | PDF, Word, intranet, SharePoint |
| Access control by department | 7,000 to 15,000 | 24,000 to 50,000 | role filtering before retrieval |
| Web, Teams or internal chat interface | 8,000 to 15,000 | 24,000 to 50,000 | sourced answers, link to document |
| Testing, logging, dashboard | 8,000 to 15,000 | 24,000 to 53,000 | measured accuracy rate |
| Total | 45,000 to 90,000 | 120,000 to 250,000 | 3 months overall |
| Monthly API cost | 400 to 1,200 | 1,000 to 4,500 | depending on volume and model |
On security, four requirements are non-negotiable: documents stay in your environment (dedicated hosting or cloud with a no-training commitment, ideally in a UAE region), permission filtering happens before retrieval rather than after, every answer cites its source, and conversations are logged. The UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law 45 of 2021) and, for DIFC entities, the DIFC Data Protection Law 2020 add obligations when the assistant handles named HR data.
Mini case study
Omar, CIO of a diversified group in Dubai (1,800 employees, 4 subsidiaries), launches an assistant on HR, then procurement. The prototype costs 70,000 AED, full rollout 170,000 AED, and API 2,600 AED a month. The assistant handles 72 % of the 2,500 monthly questions, so 1,800 questions at 12 minutes: 360 hours freed per month. At a loaded hourly cost of 110 AED for support staff, the gain reaches about 39,600 AED a month. Total investment of 240,000 AED plus 31,200 AED of API a year: payback in about 7 months.
FAQ
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How much does an internal AI assistant cost for a group in Dubai?
Count 45,000 to 90,000 AED for a single-domain prototype and 120,000 to 250,000 AED for full rollout. API costs range from 1,000 to 4,500 AED a month.
Are our documents used to train the AI model?
No, with the enterprise offers of the major providers, data is not reused for training. RAG queries your documents at question time without changing the model.
How do we stop an employee from reaching confidential documents?
Permission filtering applies before retrieval, based on the company directory. A payroll document is never visible to a user without the HR role.
What accuracy can we expect?
On up-to-date procedures, 85 to 92 % correct answers are measured in testing. Unanswered questions surface in a dashboard so the knowledge base can be completed.
Which data protection rules apply in the UAE?
Onshore entities fall under the federal PDPL, DIFC and ADGM entities under their own data protection laws. Plan 2 to 4 weeks for a data protection impact assessment.
Let's scope your project. Headcount, domains covered and IT environment: we scope your internal AI assistant, with a prototype from 45,000 AED and full rollout in 3 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
