The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has issued a report assessing the Sultanate of Oman’s readiness to expand the scope of a human rights-based, ethical and comprehensive governance of artificial intelligence.
The report, based on ‘Readiness Assessment Methodology’ (RAM), was prepared under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT).
The report constitutes a strategic step forward towards strengthening ethical and legislative governance and aligning national policies with the best global practices. It promotes the responsible use of modern technologies to serve humanity and society.
The report affirmed that the Sultanate of Oman possesses strong foundations for the march forward in artificial intelligence. These foundations include a clear strategic framework that accords priority to the digital economy and the launch of the ‘Public Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence Systems’ in 2025.
The report highlighted the ‘Personal Data Protection Law’, which was promulgated by Royal Decree No 6/2022, and the statute’s importance in fostering digital trust.
It valued the progress made in developing telecommunications infrastructure. It also noted the high rate of female graduates in the specialties of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
The report underscored two major national initiatives: The first was the development of a comprehensive Omani linguistic model codenamed ‘Mueen’ (which aims to produce artificial intelligence solutions that observe cultural and linguistic privacy) and the second was the launch of a ‘Green Artificial Intelligence Alliance’ initiative to promote the sustainability of digital technologies.
The report made key recommendations, including the adoption of mandatory ethical and social impact assessments of artificial intelligence systems, the development of a legal framework that defines liability for potential harms, the regulation of deepfake technologies and the consolidation of data governance. The report concluded that the Sultanate of Oman boasts promising institutional and legislative grounds and that the realisation of Oman’s ambitions requires accelerating the pace of implementation, enhancing research funding and expanding the scope of the community’s participation in a manner that ensures the use of artificial intelligence in serving sustainable development and fostering a knowledge-based digital economy. — ONA
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