AI OBSERVATORY / SIGNALS

AIO-S0003 · 23 OCT 2026

National AI instruments in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, 2017 to 2024

We observe published national AI strategy or policy instruments in three of five states, from the UAE in 2017 to Oman in 2024.

AIO Research Team · The AI Observatory

2017
UAE launched its first AI strategy, October 2017 [1]
3 of 5
States with a published national AI instrument we could source (strategy or AI programme): UAE, Qatar, Oman [1][3][5]
n/a
Kuwait: no primary strategy text found as of 23 Oct 2026

Coverage: UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman

What we observe

We logged the earliest national AI instrument we could source for each state. UAE: UAE Strategy for AI, October 2017 [1], followed by the National AI Strategy 2031, adopted by the Cabinet on 21 Apr 2019 [2]. Qatar: National AI Strategy, announced 29 Oct 2019 [3][4]. Oman: AI programme 2024 to 2026, announced by MTCIT on 22 Sep 2024 as an upgrade of its October 2022 executive programme [5]; a General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of AI followed on 1 Apr 2025 [6]. Bahrain: n/a; official iGA pages could not be verified, so we do not score it. Kuwait: n/a; we found no primary strategy text, and the CAIT strategy page did not load on 23 Oct 2026. CITRA consulted on a draft AI adoption guideline from 19 Feb to 20 Apr 2026 [7].

Three of five states have a published national AI instrument; the span from first to latest is seven years, 2017 to 2024.
Chart from AIO-S0003 (PDF page 2): Years since first national AI instrument, to 2026 [1][3][5]
Years since first national AI instrument, to 2026 [1][3][5]

Why it matters

Instruments are the first rung of AIO Watch indicator A [8]. Their form differs: the UAE and Qatar published strategies, while Oman runs its AI programme 2024 to 2026 with a target of a top-50 place in an external AI readiness index [5]. Having an instrument says nothing about implementation; that is why indicator A is a checklist and is read alongside B and C.

Method

Earliest dated national-level AI strategy, programme or policy found on official sites or, where the live page is blocked, an Internet Archive snapshot of the official page [2]. Years since is 2026 minus the year of the first instrument. Kuwait n/a: no primary strategy text. Bahrain n/a: iGA sources not verifiable, as set out in the method note. Definitions follow AIO Watch method note AIO-M01, v1.1 [8].

References

  1. [1] UAE Government portal. UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/strategies-plans-and-visions/Ai/uae-strategy-for-artificial-intelligence. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  2. [2] UAE Cabinet. "UAE Cabinet adopts National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031", 21 Apr 2019. https://uaecabinet.ae/en/news/uae-cabinet-adopts-national-artificial-intelligence-strategy-2031 (live page HTTP 403; read via Internet Archive snapshot of 15 Oct 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261015053711/https://uaecabinet.ae/en/news/uae-cabinet-adopts-national-artificial-intelligence-strategy-2031). Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  3. [3] Qatar MCIT. National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Qatar 2019. https://www.mcit.gov.qa/-/media/mcit/documents/strategies/national_artificial_intelligence_strategy_for_qatar_2019_en.pdf. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  4. [4] HBKU. Announcement of Qatar National AI Strategy, 29 Oct 2019. https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/news/qitcom-qcri-hbku. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  5. [5] Oman MTCIT. "Oman AI & Digital Future Program (2024-2026)", 22 Sep 2024. https://mtcit.gov.om/media-4/news-announcements-11/news-85/oman-ai-digital-future-program-20242026-171. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  6. [6] Oman MTCIT. General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of AI Systems, 1 Apr 2025. https://mtcit.gov.om/library-3/legislations-policies-8/policies-73/general-policy-for-the-safe-and-ethical-use-of-artificial-intelligence-systems-291. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  7. [7] Kuwait CITRA. Public consultation, AI adoption guideline (Arabic). https://www.citra.gov.kw/sites/ar/Pages/GCDetails.aspx?GCID=24. Accessed 23 Oct 2026.
  8. [8] AIO Research Team. AIO Watch method note AIO-M01, v1.1 (internal), 23 Oct 2026.

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