AI regulation in Oman (2026)

The ITA issued the National Artificial Intelligence Policy in August 2024, laying out principles — transparency, accountability, fairness, security, and privacy — governing the collection, storage, design, training, deployment, and continuous evaluation of AI systems by public and private entities. It cross-references the Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree No. 6/2022).

MTCIT issued this risk-based governance policy as the national reference framework under Oman Vision 2040. It covers the full AI system lifecycle — from development to deployment — for both public and private actors, mandating pre-deployment assessments, documentation of decision-making, lifecycle monitoring, and submission of compliance reports on request. Regulatory bodies were directed to issue aligned sector-specific provisions.

This national programme, coordinated by MTCIT, has four pillars: economic diversification productivity, human capacity development, AI adoption acceleration, and — critically — governance and regulatory framework development. The legislative/regulatory pillar explicitly targets enacting laws for safe and ethical AI use, data privacy, and trust in advanced digital technologies.

The Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree No. 6/2022) and its Executive Regulations (Ministerial Decision 34/2024) provide the primary binding legal instrument relevant to AI, covering consent, data subject rights, data minimisation, and enforcement powers. AI-related data processing obligations are anchored to this law.

MTCIT unveiled a National AI Strategy 2025–2030 positioning AI as a driver of digital transformation aligned with Vision 2040, alongside a 2026–2030 Digital Economy Roadmap targeting 10% of GDP from the digital economy. A national AI platform and digital infrastructure centres are central deliverables.

Oman is profiled in the UNESCO Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory, reflecting its engagement with international ethical AI norms. The national policies expressly incorporate human-centred principles (transparency, fairness, inclusiveness, respect for privacy) consistent with UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.