AI regulation in UAE: laws & policy (2026)

Legal framework

UAE National AI Strategy 2031; DIFC Data Protection Law Regulation 10 (Sept 2023); Federal Decree-Law No. 44 of 2021 (PDPL); UAE Charter for the Development and Use of AI (June 2024); Ministry of AI and UAE Council for AI

Key points: artificial intelligence in UAE

1. 01National AI Strategy 2031

   Launched October 2017, this federal strategic framework targets AI leadership by 2031 across transport, health, energy, education, and government services; it created the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence to oversee public-sector integration and propose enabling policies.

   u.ae uaelegislation.gov.ae

2. 02UAE AI Charter (June 2024)

   The Cabinet Secretariat issued this non-binding but authoritative charter in June 2024 setting out 12 human-centric principles, including fairness, transparency, safety, privacy, human oversight, and accountability, intended to anchor responsible AI development and use across all sectors.

   uaelegislation.gov.ae

3. 03DIFC Regulation 10, binding AI rule

   The Dubai International Financial Centre's revised Data Protection Regulations (September 2023) include Regulation 10, the UAE's most prescriptive binding AI-specific instrument: it requires a mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment for any AI system processing personal data, explicit user notice, and design principles of ethics, fairness, transparency, security, and accountability.

   compliance.waystone.com lw.com

4. 04Federal Personal Data Protection Law

   Federal Decree-Law No. 44 of 2021 (PDPL) creates baseline data-protection obligations directly applicable to AI systems that process personal data on the mainland; the Emirates Data Office is the designated supervisory authority, with TDRA providing transitional administrative support during the operational ramp-up period.

   u.ae iclg.com

5. 05AI Regulatory Intelligence Ecosystem (April 2025)

   On 14 April 2025 the UAE Cabinet approved the world's first integrated AI-powered regulatory intelligence ecosystem, creating a Regulatory Intelligence Office and a national legislative database linking laws, judicial rulings, and government services in real time, aiming to cut legislative drafting time by up to 70%; this uses AI in the legislative process but is not itself an AI regulatory framework.

   uaecabinet.ae uaelegislation.gov.ae

6. 06Financial sector joint guidelines

   The Central Bank of the UAE, Securities and Commodities Authority, DIFC's DFSA, and ADGM's FSRA jointly issued guidance for financial institutions adopting enabling technologies including AI, covering governance, accountability, and consumer protection; currently non-binding but indicative of forthcoming mandatory sectoral requirements.

   lw.com practiceguides.chambers.com

Timeline of decisions

1. 18 May 2026Decision · official
   UAE Cabinet Approves Federal Agentic AI Project Framework

   Mohammed bin Rashid formally approved a world-first federal framework to transition at least 50% of UAE government services and operations to Agentic AI within two years, covering citizens', residents', and business services across all ministries. The plan includes training 80,000 federal employees and creating entity-level Agentic AI implementation teams headed by each minister.

   UAE Media Office

2. 1 Jun 2024Guidance · official
   UAE Publishes National AI Charter: 12 Ethical Principles for AI Development and Use

   The UAE government issued the Charter for the Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, a non-binding national ethical framework anchored in 12 principles, including safety, algorithmic-bias mitigation, transparency, human oversight, data privacy, and inclusive access, serving as the primary reference for government AI procurement, regulation, and public-sector adoption.

   UAE Legislation Portal

3. 22 Jan 2024Law · official
   Abu Dhabi Enacts Law No. 3/2024 Establishing the AI and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC)

   UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed issued an emirate-level law creating the AIATC, chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, to regulate, oversee, and invest in all AI and advanced technology projects, infrastructure, and research within Abu Dhabi, making it the first emirate with a dedicated statutory AI regulatory and investment body.

   Abu Dhabi Media Office

4. 1 Sept 2023Law · official
   DIFC Enacts Regulation 10: First Dedicated AI/Autonomous-Systems Data Rules in MEASA

   The Dubai International Financial Centre amended its Data Protection Regulations to introduce Regulation 10, imposing obligations on organisations that deploy autonomous or semi-autonomous AI systems processing personal data, including ethics, fairness, transparency, accountability, and mandatory appointment of an Autonomous Systems Officer. It is the first enacted AI-specific data regulation in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region; full enforcement began January 2026.

   DIFC

5. 1 Jan 2023Guidance · official
   TDRA Launches Centralized Generative AI Interface for Federal Government Entities

   The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority deployed a centralized, policy-compliant interface giving federal entities approved API access to generative AI services, technical support, and use-case guidance, establishing a supervised government-wide channel for GenAI adoption aligned with federal digital strategy.

   TDRA

6. 16 Oct 2019Decision
   Abu Dhabi Announces MBZUAI: World's First Graduate-Level AI Research University

   Abu Dhabi established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Masdar City, the world's first research-focused AI university, offering fully funded MSc and PhD programmes in Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Natural Language Processing, cementing the UAE's strategy to build sovereign AI research capacity at the frontier.

   Abu Dhabi Government via PRNewswire

7. 1 Feb 2018Decision · official
   UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Established

   The UAE Cabinet established a cross-sector AI and Blockchain Council to promote AI adoption, advise on ethical and governance standards, and coordinate data security, digital trust, and responsible innovation across government, providing the first formal institutional home for AI governance between the strategy launch and dedicated regulatory bodies.

   UAE Government Official Portal

8. 1 Jan 2018Law · official
   Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2018 on Projects of Future Nature Enacted

   The UAE enacted a law authorising the Cabinet to grant interim operating licences for innovative AI-based projects where no existing legislation yet governs them, removing a key regulatory barrier to emerging-technology deployment and establishing a permissive-innovation posture as a cornerstone of UAE AI governance.

   UAE Legislation Portal

9. 1 Oct 2017Decision · official
   UAE Launches National AI Strategy 2031 and Appoints World's First Minister of State for AI

   The UAE Cabinet adopted the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031, targeting top-tier global AI status by 2031 through government-wide adoption, talent development, data governance, and sectoral pilots in health, transport, and energy, and appointed Omar Sultan Al Olama as the world's first ever Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, making AI a core national governance priority.

   UAE Cabinet

Sources

1. 1.u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/strategies-plans-a
2. 2.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/policy/details/the-uae-charter-for-the-development-and-use-of-arti
3. 3.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/policy/details/uae-s-international-stance-on-artificial-intelligen
4. 4.uaecabinet.ae/en/news/uae-cabinet-chaired-by-mohammed-bin-rashid-approves-launch-of
5. 5.compliance.waystone.com/a-guide-to-ai-regulation-in-the-difc/
6. 6.lw.com/en/insights/ai-in-the-uae-understanding-the-regulatory-landscape-and-
7. 7.u.ae/en/about-the-uae/digital-uae/data/data-protection-laws
8. 8.practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/artificial-intelligence-2025/uae/trends-and-developme
9. 9.iclg.com/practice-areas/data-protection-laws-and-regulations/uae
10. 10.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/news/the-general-secretariat-of-the-cabinet-introduces-its-new-reg