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Notion, the globally popular connected AI workspace used by more than 100 million people, has officially launched full Arabic language support—its first major product investment in the Middle East. The rollout reflects the platform’s rapidly growing user base across the region and the UAE’s accelerating shift toward AI‑enabled, multilingual digital work.

“This region has become one of our most engaged communities,” said Mick Hodgins, GM EMEA at Notion, highlighting the surge in users from the Middle East, including hundreds of thousands in the UAE. “We now have millions of users across the region who have adopted Notion to build startups, manage teams, and create their life’s work. Arabic support is a foundation for what comes next, as we deepen our commitment to the region and the teams building the future here.” 

Arabic-first design, not just translation

Hodgins emphasized that the release goes far beyond interface translation. “The way we perceive right‑to‑left support is not just a translation within the tool. It has to be a full adaptation of the way people use your tool,” he said, noting that true localization requires alignment with cultural and linguistic norms rather than “telling people the way they should be working.” 

He pointed to the UAE’s broader push toward Arabic‑first AI systems—citing models such as Falcon‑H1—as proof that enterprises increasingly expect technology designed natively for the region. Notion’s Arabic experience follows the same principle: adapting to the local workflow rather than layering translation on top.

AI adoption accelerating across sectors

Hodgins described the UAE as uniquely positioned to lead in enterprise AI adoption. During his recent visit for GITEX, he recalled telling his partner, *“The UAE is the future. We should move there.”* He attributes the region’s rapid uptake to the absence of legacy infrastructure and a strong national innovation agenda. “You have built the real roads of the future for yourself. And so when it comes to AI adoption, it just fits naturally.” 

Mick Hodgins, GM EMEA at Notion

Sectors showing strong early adoption include fintech, deep tech, HR tech, and real estate. Hodgins noted that Notion sees “a span of adoption across sectors rather than just in one specific sector,” with innovation‑driven teams—engineering, product, design—often leading deployment. 

Global enterprises with complex operations, including Toyota and Volvo Cars, already use Notion extensively, suggesting similar potential for large regional industries such as energy and manufacturing.

A growing commitment to the UAE’s innovation ecosystem

With more than a thousand UAE startups participating in the Notion for Startups programme, the company sees the region as a critical engine for global growth. Hodgins explained that the UAE’s horizontally integrated innovation culture—where governments, enterprises, and startups adopt new technologies in parallel—sets it apart from more traditional markets. “Everybody here wants the UAE to succeed,” he said. 

To mark the launch, Notion recently hosted its *Make with Notion Showcase* event in Dubai, engaging founders and creators in person and underscoring its long‑term regional commitment.

As the UAE transitions deeper into a knowledge‑based, AI‑enabled economy, Notion sees Arabic support as the first step in a broader regional strategy. “This launch is a way not just to promote improvement, but to adapt ourselves to the local ways of working,” Hodgins said. “The more we adapt, the more users there will be—and the more they will benefit.”