General Policy for the Use of Artificial Intelligence: requirements, deadlines and compliance actions
What is General Policy for the Use of Artificial Intelligence?
A binding policy for Bahraini government entities structured around four pillars: compliance with AI-related laws and policies (including the Personal Data Protection Law and the GCC AI ethics guide), use and adoption of AI technologies, awareness and education, and local and international cooperation. It defines roles and responsibilities for entities and assigns oversight to iGA. Alongside the policy, Bahrain adopted the GCC Guiding Manual on the Ethics of AI Use.
Status note: Document is dated 20 May 2025 (v1.0) while the iGA announcement is dated 27 July 2025; the announcement date is used. A separate standalone AI regulation bill (38 articles) was approved by the Shura Council in April 2024 and returned by the government for reconsideration, but no official Shura/parliament page could be verified, so it is omitted. A national AI strategy is reported to be in development (iGA) but no official document was found.
Who does it apply to?
Scope is as set out in the official text linked below. Issued by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA). Oversight: iGA under the Ministerial Committee for Information Technology and Communication (MCICT). Stated purpose: Ensure safe, ethical and lawful use of AI by government entities in line with Vision 2030.
When do the requirements apply?
2025-05-20: Policy version 1.0 first release date (per document); 2025-07-27: iGA publicly launches the National Policy for the Use of AI and adopts the GCC AI ethics manual
Only the announcement or adoption date is recorded from the source; in-force and application dates are to be confirmed by a reviewer.
Official sources
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General Policy for the Use of Artificial Intelligence
Information & eGovernment Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain · 27 Jul 2025 · Tier 1 source
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iGA publicly launches the National Policy for the Use of AI and adopts the GCC AI ethics manual
Information & eGovernment Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain · 27 Jul 2025 · Tier 1 source
Change history
- — iGA publicly launches the National Policy for the Use of AI and adopts the GCC AI ethics manual
- — Policy version 1.0 first release date (per document)
Record version 1: Imported from the source-backed legacy dataset (database/data/ai_policies.json); fields limited to what the official source page states. Reviewer to enrich scope, dates and obligations.. Full edit history is in the GitHub repository.
Informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult qualified counsel before acting.