AI regulation in Maldives (2026)

Cabinet decision of 16 October 2024 directed NCIT under the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology to draft a ten-year AI Masterplan focusing on risk management and a legal framework for AI; the plan was still being finalised as of mid-2025.

President Mohamed Muizzu confirmed plans to introduce a dedicated AI law as part of a broader state digitisation package that also includes bills on digital transformation, digital identity, and cybersecurity; no bill had been tabled or enacted as of May 2026.

The Maldives completed South Asia's first UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM), with the report launched on 31 July 2025. It identified five strategic focus areas—AI governance, inclusive oversight, talent development, social equity, and investment—and recommended fast-tracking the AI masterplan and enacting anti-discrimination AI policies.

A Privacy and Personal Data Protection Bill has been in draft since 2023 and remains pending enactment; once passed, it would underpin core data-governance rules relevant to AI systems, but as of 2026 it is not yet in force.

A national AI and Data Competency Center (Maldives AI Lab), jointly established by MindCo and Bank of Maldives, was launched under the government's 'Maldives 2.0' digital agenda to pilot responsible AI use across government and key industries.

The government ran CoLab 26, a four-day national consultative programme to formulate national AI policies and strategies, reflecting early-stage participatory policy design rather than enacted regulation.