AI regulation in Kiribati (2026)

Kiribati has adopted no national AI strategy, AI ethics principles, or AI-specific legislation. The UNIDIR AI Policy Portal records no AI policy instruments for Kiribati as of its last review.

The foundational digital policy is the National ICT Policy 2019, which treats ICT as a key enabler for economic and social development and calls for improved connectivity, digital literacy, and regulatory foundations — but contains no AI-specific provisions.

The Kiribati Digital Government Master Plan establishes a Digital Transformation Office and frameworks for digital identity and interoperability across public services, but does not include AI governance provisions.

A Data Protection Bill passed its first parliamentary reading on 1 April 2025. Modelled on Australian and New Zealand privacy law, it includes protection from solely automated decisions that significantly affect individuals, but it is not AI-specific legislation and had not yet been enacted as of mid-2026.

The AI Asia Pacific Institute's August 2024 report on the State of AI in the Pacific Islands found Kiribati among nations still in the very early stages of AI adoption, lacking the policy frameworks present in more advanced regional peers such as Fiji, and recommended establishment of a Pacific Islands AI Technical Assistance Facility.

The Kiribati Digital Government Project (KDGP), backed by the World Bank, engaged NRD Companies from September 2025 to May 2026 to build foundational digital infrastructure; AI governance is not part of the project scope.