Artificial Intelligence · Egypt
AI regulation in Egypt (2026)
Egypt shaded by its artificial intelligence status
Egypt currently governs AI through non-binding instruments: the Egyptian Charter for Responsible AI (adopted April 2023) and the National AI Strategy (first edition 2021, second edition 2025–2030). There is no comprehensive in-force AI statute; a dedicated AI Law to convert the Charter's voluntary principles into binding requirements is under development but not yet enacted. Oversight is led by the NCAI and MCIT, with a planned Center for Responsible AI.
Key points
The National Council for AI adopted the Egyptian Charter for Responsible AI in April 2023 — a non-binding set of principles (e.g., do-no-harm, fairness, transparency, accountability, human oversight) adapted to the local context and aligned with UNESCO's AI ethics recommendation.
The second-edition National AI Strategy, issued by MCIT and the NCAI, is built on six pillars (Governance, Technology, Data, Infrastructure, Ecosystem, Talent) and sets goals such as expanding the AI talent base and 'sovereign AI' capabilities; it commits to developing a regulatory/AI-law system rather than itself being binding law.
A dedicated AI Law is being developed by MCIT and the NCAI, intended to convert the Charter's voluntary principles into binding obligations and establish statutory oversight; as of 2026 it remains in draft and is not in force.
AI policy is coordinated by the National Council for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), established under MCIT; the strategy provides for a Center for Responsible AI to handle ethical oversight, compliance monitoring, and guidance.
Egypt developed its responsible-AI approach with UNESCO support, including a Readiness Assessment Methodology under UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, anchoring its guidelines in international ethics frameworks.
Unlike the EU AI Act model, Egypt has no horizontal AI statute in force; current obligations rest on voluntary guidelines plus general laws (e.g., the Personal Data Protection Law No. 151 of 2020) until the draft AI law is passed.
Timeline - major decisions & events
Egypt issued the long-delayed implementing regulations for Personal Data Protection Law No. 151/2020 (Official Gazette Issue 244), setting binding rules on data controllers, processors and cross-border transfers that govern data used to train and run AI systems, with a one-year compliance grace period to ~November 2026.
Baker McKenzie ↗Egypt adopted the second edition of its National AI Strategy, built on six pillars (Governance, Technology, Data, Infrastructure, Ecosystem, Talent) and emphasizing 'sovereign AI', targeting AI/digital contribution of 7.7% of GDP and training 30,000 specialists by 2030.
ai.gov.eg (MCIT) ↗The OECD published its first AI policy review of Egypt, assessing the country's strategy, governance and implementation of the OECD AI Principles and recommending steps to strengthen its AI ecosystem and regulatory readiness.
OECD ↗Egypt began developing a binding AI law—reportedly influenced by the EU AI Act's risk-based approach—to convert the voluntary 2023 Charter principles into mandatory requirements with defined risk categories, oversight and penalties; it remains a draft and is not yet enacted.
Regulations.AI ↗The National Council for AI launched a voluntary charter built on five principles—human-centricity, transparency, fairness, accountability and security—operationalizing Egypt's commitment to the OECD AI Principles; it is to be reviewed annually.
ai.gov.eg (MCIT) ↗MCIT launched Egypt's first National AI Strategy, the foundational framework for applying AI to sustainable-development goals and positioning Egypt as a regional AI leader across the Arab world and Africa.
OECD.AI ↗Egypt's first comprehensive data protection law took effect (90 days after its July 2020 publication), creating consent, controller/processor obligations and penalties that underpin lawful data use for AI systems.
U.S. Library of Congress ↗President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ratified Egypt's first dedicated personal data protection statute, published in the Official Gazette on 15 July 2020—the legal backbone for data governance in AI applications.
MCIT ↗Egypt's Cabinet approved creation of the National Council for AI, chaired by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, to formulate and oversee national AI policy—the country's central AI governance body.
MCIT ↗Egypt - other topics
Last verified 5/23/2026 · Orientation, not legal advice - verify against the primary sources linked above. Explore the full world map →