Businesses in the UAE will face closer scrutiny over how they use artificial intelligence and manage personal data after three government entities were brought together under a single regulator.
The Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority reports directly to the UAE cabinet and will oversee the country’s Personal Data Protection Law, which has been in force since 2022 but previously lacked a fully operational supervisory authority.
Companies will need to show that personal data is collected and used lawfully, protected with appropriate safeguards and managed in support of accountable AI deployment. Breaches may lead to investigations, enforcement action and administrative penalties, although a schedule of fines has not yet been published.
Gabriele Obino, vice president for southern Europe and the Middle East at Denodo, said the new authority should give businesses greater clarity by bringing AI, data governance and digital transformation under one framework.
He said compliance is likely to become an operational responsibility rather than a matter of maintaining policies. Organisations may need to demonstrate how data moves through their systems, how AI uses it and who is responsible when problems occur.
Obino added that many companies have invested in AI models and platforms, but fewer have established the trusted data foundations needed to deploy them at enterprise scale.
Source: AGBI
