The Atlantic-GCC AI Policy and Public (Assistive) Technology Dialogue

We took part in the Oman AI Summit, exploring further Atlantic-Middle East Dialogue on AI policy, public and assistive technologies. It followed our series of sessions and exchanges, including International Conference and Forum on Assistive Technologies (ATSN) supported by UN/UNESCO in Kuwait, UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh, exchanges with governors from Qatar and UAE, and curating the Global AI Summit for the good of humanity several years ago. During this summit, UNESCO's "Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence" was signed along with other notable frameworks and MOUs.

AI for Accessibility – Atlantic Dialogue (Public and Assistive technology)

The AI for accessibility and public technologies has emerged as a central pillar in our engagements with policy leaders and researchers—not only within the Bletchley, Seoul, and Paris public commitments, but also through real-world engagements across the Atlantic and GCC regions. In particular, these discussions, (e.g. the International Conference and Forum on Assistive Technologies in Kuwait), emphasized accessibility innovation through next-generation technologies—particularly Vision-Language Models (VLMs), 3D foundation models, and Large Language Models (LLMs). VLMs such as Flamingo, PaLI, and SAM offer real-time multimodal reasoning and situational awareness capabilities essential for users with visual, cognitive, or physical impairments. These systems support captioning, gesture-based interaction, and spatial understanding by leveraging unified embedding spaces and transformer-based cross-modal architectures. Similarly, 3D models like DreamFusion and Shape-E enable prosthetic navigation, smart home interaction, and environmental reconstruction using neural radiance fields (NeRFs) and implicit representations.

Advances in multilingual and compressed LLMs (e.g., GPT-4, Mistral, Phi) allow for adaptive dialogue systems that personalize assistance in Arabic and other underrepresented languages. Efficient deployment via quantization and Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) enables use in low-connectivity or rural healthcare settings. Embodied AI—integrating RGB-D, LiDAR, and tactile sensors—enables robotic caregivers and responsive home environments attuned to human needs. Meanwhile, Sim2Real platforms such as Isaac Sim and Habitat allow safe, physics-accurate testing of assistive agents prior to real-world deployment. The dialogue highlighted the need for shared regional datasets (e.g., affordance data for individuals with disabilities), standardized APIs, shared data formats and interoperable protocols. It also emphasized the importance of safety and governance frameworks aligned with regional policies and global declarations such as the Bletchley, Seoul, and Paris AI summits.

These technological capabilities cannot be separated from broader geopolitical and cultural contexts. As reinforced in our contributions to the IGF and the "AI from the Global Majority" initiative, accessibility must be understood as an issue of sovereignty—rooted in the capacity to build resilient physical and digital infrastructures, curate representative datasets, and develop models attuned to regional languages, identities, and healthcare realities. Another dimension is resilience beyond software, including access to chips, semiconductors, materials, and components necessary to produce haptics, effectors, motors, actuators, and other elements behind assistive and medical robotics. This perspective now informs the growing AI strategies across the Gulf, which increasingly integrate accessibility as a multi-faceted objective.

GCC - Sovereign and Accessible AI Policy

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries pursue comprehensive national strategies that position artificial intelligence as central to economic diversification and social development. Regional AI governance spans a regulatory spectrum from Bahrain's comprehensive AI law to early-stage frameworks in Kuwait. These are unified by shared emphasis on ethical implementation, economic transformation, and digital sovereignty.

These strategies increasingly incorporate assistive technologies and public sector AI applications. This reflects growing recognition of AI's potential for social inclusion and accessible public services.

The region's growing participation in international AI governance frameworks demonstrates expanding geopolitical influence in global technology policy. Both UAE and Saudi Arabia signed the Bletchley Declaration in November 2023, committing to international cooperation on AI safety risks. The countries also participated in the Seoul AI Summit in May 2024, with Saudi Arabia and UAE among the signatories of the Seoul Ministerial Statement. At the Paris AI Action Summit in February 2025, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE announced potential financing of up to 50 billion euros for AI projects in France over the coming years. These multilateral engagements position GCC states as active participants in shaping international AI governance standards alongside established technology powers.

Cross-border initiatives include the GCC Digital Health Strategy with shared standards for AI-powered assistive technologies¹. The Arabic Language AI Consortium (led by UAE and Saudi Arabia) develops region-specific accessibility solutions. Recent developments include Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council launching Falcon Arabic. This model is designed to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world through high-quality native Arabic datasets².

Joint research initiatives on AI for Arabic speech and language processing support communication disabilities. These are complemented by regional data sharing agreements for AI training datasets that include provisions for inclusive and representative disability data.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Minister for AI Omar Sultan Al Olama (appointed in 2017), the first such ministerial position in the region, oversees policy development alongside the newly established Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC) in 2024. The UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 aims to establish UAE as global AI leader generating AED 335 billion in economic growth³.

This is supported by the UAE Charter for Development and Use of AI (June 2024) outlining 12 principles for ethical AI implementation⁴. Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Data Protection Regulations Article 10 govern personal data processed through autonomous and semi-autonomous systems⁵.

Eight strategic objectives include building AI reputation, developing fertile AI ecosystem, adopting AI in government services, and advancing public sector accessibility applications. The UAE emphasizes AI deployment in healthcare, education, and assistive technologies as priority implementation areas.

Dubai Health Strategy 2021 includes developing smart health systems and adopting AI technologies to enhance healthcare services, with particular focus on accessibility and inclusive service delivery⁶.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) is mandated to develop regulatory framework for AI and enhance the AI sector⁷. The National Strategy for Data & AI (2020) positions Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as a leading country in the AI industry⁸. This is complemented by AI Ethics Principles and Controls (September 2023) featuring seven AI ethics principles applicable throughout AI system lifecycle⁹.

Generative AI Guidelines (January 2024) provide separate versions for government employees and public use¹⁰. The Personal Data Protection Law serves as principal governing law for privacy and personal data protection¹¹.

Phase III implementation commenced in 2025 according to actionable roadmap. There are no dedicated AI laws yet but comprehensive framework exists through guidelines. AI and data serve as key contributing factors to achieving Vision 2030. The AI sector directly or indirectly relates to 66 out of KSA's 96 objectives¹².

Saudi Arabia prioritizes AI development in public services, with emphasis on Arabic language processing for healthcare and educational applications. These initiatives are supported by $100 billion 'Project Transcendence' collaboration with Alphabet Inc. and $10.6 billion in cloud computing investments from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google¹³.

Saudi Arabia's National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) focuses on developing Arabic Language AI products and services¹⁴. It invests heavily in foundational pre-trained models for language and speech, namely ALLaM and SauTech. These locally developed solutions preserve cultural identity, support data sovereignty, and enable meaningful technology transfer. There is special emphasis on accessibility applications for Arabic-speaking populations.

Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait

Qatar's Artificial Intelligence Committee within Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (established in 2021) oversees the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2019)¹⁵. This is built around six key thematic pillars including health, entertainment, business activity, education, and research. Qatar features legally binding AI Guidelines for Central Bank-licensed financial firms¹⁶. The government seeks recommendations to draft dedicated AI law as announced by the Minister of Justice in September 2024¹⁷.

Bahrain has developed comprehensive regulatory framework with its Standalone Artificial Intelligence Regulation Law (April 2024). This is the first comprehensive AI law in the region featuring 38 articles across seven chapters¹⁸. This law emphasizes transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and privacy protection. It has special emphasis on medical applications and unified regional guidelines through the GCC AI Ethics Guideline Initiative.

Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology oversees the National Program of AI and Advanced Digital Technologies (approved in September 2024) featuring three key pillars for implementation¹⁹. Kuwait's Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) manages early-stage development aligned with Vision 2035 transformation to knowledge-based economy²⁰.

Collectively, these GCC states demonstrate significant commitment to AI-driven economic transformation and social development through their comprehensive policy frameworks and substantial infrastructure investments.

Next Steps and Regional Priorities

The GCC region's AI development priorities center on building robust digital infrastructure and specialized training environments supporting public sector applications and assistive technologies tailored to regional needs. Emphasis on Arabic-language-specific AI models forms a critical foundation for context-appropriate solutions, especially in accessibility and public service delivery.

Meta AI has launched Arabic language support across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq. This demonstrates practical implementation of regional Arabic language AI initiatives²¹.

Creating comprehensive technology repositories aligned with the region's linguistic, cultural, and regulatory requirements is key to scaling AI adoption and ensuring inclusive development for diverse Gulf populations. The International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) in Riyadh, which received UNESCO Category 2 status in November 2023, strengthens the region's commitment to ethical AI development²².

The center supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, focusing on Arab countries and facilitating AI research, ethics awareness, policy recommendations, and international AI collaboration for humanity's benefit. The focus on smart cities and accessible public services positions the region as a testing ground for AI-powered inclusive technologies.

Acronym Expansions

ATSN → International Conference and Forum on Assistive Technologies supported by UN/UNESCO
IGF → Internet Governance Forum
OECD → Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
HAIP → Hiroshima AI Process
DIFC → Dubai International Financial Centre
SDAIA → Saudi Data & AI Authority
KSA → Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
NCAI → National Center for Artificial Intelligence
CITRA → Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority
ICAIRE → International Center for AI Research and Ethics
GCC → Gulf Cooperation Council
UAE → United Arab Emirates
AIATC → Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council
GDC → Global Digital Compact
VLMs → Vision-Language Models
LLMs → Large Language Models
NeRFs → Neural Radiance Fields
LoRA → Low-Rank Adaptation
RGB-D → Red Green Blue-Depth
LiDAR → Light Detection and Ranging
APIs → Application Programming Interface

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References

¹ Technology Innovation Institute. "Falcon Arabic Language Model Launch." Abu Dhabi, 2024.
² UAE Government. "UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031." 2019.
³ UAE Government. "UAE Charter for Development and Use of AI." June 2024.
⁴ UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection.
⁵ Dubai Health Authority. "Dubai Health Strategy 2021-2030." 2021.
⁶ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "National Strategy for Data & AI." 2020.
⁷ Saudi Data & AI Authority. "AI Ethics Principles and Controls." September 2023.
⁸ Saudi Data & AI Authority. "Generative AI Guidelines." January 2024.
⁹ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "Personal Data Protection Law." 2021.
¹⁰ Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. "SDAIA and Vision 2030."
¹¹ Saudi Press Agency. "Project Transcendence and Cloud Computing Investments." 2024.
¹² National Center for Artificial Intelligence. "About the National Center for AI (NCAI)."
¹³ Qatar Ministry of Communications & Information Technology. "National AI Strategy." 2019.
¹⁴ Qatar Central Bank. "AI Guidelines for Licensed Financial Firms." 2023.
¹⁵ Qatar Ministry of Justice. "AI Law Development Announcement." September 2024.
¹⁶ Kingdom of Bahrain. "Standalone Artificial Intelligence Regulation Law." April 2024.
¹⁷ Oman Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. "National Program of AI and Advanced Digital Technologies."
¹⁸ Kuwait Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority. "Kuwait National Strategy."
¹⁹ Meta. "Arabic Language AI Support Expansion." 2024.
²⁰ UNESCO. "ICAIRE Category 2 Center Status Announcement." November 2023.