By Gulf Times Now ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has made history by passing the world’s first comprehensive federal artificial intelligence ethics law, establishing legally-binding obligations for AI developers, deployers, and users operating within its jurisdiction — and in doing so, positioning the UAE as the global gold standard in AI governance.
The law, which passed with unanimous support in the Federal National Council, introduces five core principles that all AI systems operating in the UAE must adhere to: human oversight, explainability, data equity, environmental responsibility, and security-by-design.
The European Union, which has been working on its own AI Act for several years, acknowledged the UAE legislation and confirmed that bilateral discussions on regulatory harmonisation are already underway. Several Asian nations have also signalled interest in adopting the UAE framework as a template.