Saudi Arabia has introduced a national framework to help government agencies and businesses identify, assess and manage risks linked to artificial intelligence adoption.
Developed by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the National AI Risk Management Framework sets a unified process for identifying, treating and monitoring AI-related risks, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The framework comes as AI activity expands in the Kingdom. Commercial registrations for AI-related activities reached 24,552, compared with 19,042 at the end of 2025 and 14,163 a year earlier, Ministry of Commerce data showed.
It is designed around four phases: defining an AI system’s context and scope, identifying and assessing risks, treating those risks, and continuously monitoring and reviewing the system. A matrix combining the likelihood and potential impact of each risk helps organisations determine severity and prioritise responses.
The framework covers seven main risk categories and seven core principles, including integrity, privacy, transparency and accountability. SDAIA said AI risks can change over time, emerge unexpectedly and be harder to explain or reproduce than risks associated with conventional technologies.
SDAIA launched the framework in July and presented its methodology to more than 150 specialists from 45 public- and private-sector organisations at a forum in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has also designated 2026 as the Kingdom’s Year of AI.
Source: Fast Company Middle East
