{"slug":"saudi-arabia","name":"Saudi Arabia","short_name":"Saudi Arabia","iso_code":"SA","jurisdiction_type":"country","region":"Asia","subregion":"Gulf Cooperation Council","overview":"The national strategy, approved by royal decision in July 2020, sets an ambition for Saudi Arabia to be among the leading data- and AI-driven economies through phased milestones to 2030. SDAIA's AI Ethics Principles set out ethical principles and associated controls for entities developing, deploying or affected by AI systems in Saudi Arabia, covering fairness, privacy and security, humanity, social and environmental benefit, reliability and safety, transparency, and accountability.","regulatory_status_summary":"Instruments on record: National Strategy for Data & AI (2020, strategy, adopted); AI Ethics Principles (2025, guidance). Each is linked to its official source; human verification pending.","binding_vs_guidance":"Binding: none recorded. Strategy or guidance: National Strategy for Data & AI, AI Ethics Principles.","current_priorities":null,"regulators":[],"official_sources":[{"title":"National Strategy for Data & AI","publisher":"Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority","url":"https://sdaia.gov.sa/en/SDAIA/SdaiaStrategies/Pages/NationalStrategyForDataAndAI.aspx","document_date":"2020-07-17","document_type":"strategy","tier":1},{"title":"AI Ethics Principles","publisher":"Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority","url":"https://sdaia.gov.sa/en/SDAIA/about/Documents/ai-principles.pdf","document_date":"2025-05-01","document_type":"guidance","tier":1}],"related_jurisdictions":[],"url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/ai-regulation-saudi-arabia","source":{"official_source_url":"https://sdaia.gov.sa/en/SDAIA/SdaiaStrategies/Pages/NationalStrategyForDataAndAI.aspx","source_title":"National Strategy for Data & AI","source_publisher":"Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority","source_document_date":"2020-07-17","source_reference":null,"source_tier":1,"last_checked_at":"2026-09-26","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"medium","content_version":1,"change_summary":"Generated from the source-backed legacy dataset; overview composed from the listed instruments. Reviewer to add regulators and refine.","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt"},"policies":[{"slug":"saudi-arabia-ai-ethics-principles","id":"AIPT-POL-0163","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0163","title":"AI Ethics Principles","short_title":"AI Ethics Principles","jurisdiction":"saudi-arabia","instrument_type":"guidance","status":"guidance","is_binding":false,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)","summary_plain":"SDAIA's AI Ethics Principles set out ethical principles and associated controls for entities developing, deploying or affected by AI systems in Saudi Arabia, covering fairness, privacy and security, humanity, social and environmental benefit, reliability and safety, transparency, and accountability. The document assigns roles and responsibilities and marks certain controls as binding for public entities. The 2025 edition updates the September 2023 version 1.0.","adopted_on":"2025-05-01","in_force_on":null,"applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://sdaia.gov.sa/en/SDAIA/about/Documents/ai-principles.pdf","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":1,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"high","updated_at":"2026-10-15T06:46:24+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/saudi-arabia-ai-ethics-principles"},{"slug":"saudi-arabia-national-strategy-for-data-ai","id":"AIPT-POL-0164","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0164","title":"National Strategy for Data & AI","short_title":"National Strategy for Data & AI","jurisdiction":"saudi-arabia","instrument_type":"strategy","status":"adopted","is_binding":false,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)","summary_plain":"The national strategy, approved by royal decision in July 2020, sets an ambition for Saudi Arabia to be among the leading data- and AI-driven economies through phased milestones to 2030. It targets talent development, welcoming regulation, investment attraction, research and an active ecosystem, with measurable goals such as training data and AI specialists, attracting investment and creating startups.","adopted_on":"2020-07-17","in_force_on":null,"applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://sdaia.gov.sa/en/SDAIA/SdaiaStrategies/Pages/NationalStrategyForDataAndAI.aspx","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":1,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"high","updated_at":"2026-10-15T06:46:24+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/saudi-arabia-national-strategy-for-data-ai"}]}