With a near-perfect cybersecurity score of 97.02/100 and an Open Data Inventory score of 84, Oman is building a robust digital foundation. The Sultanate is concurrently drafting a General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of AI Systems, targeted for 2025. Oman's proactive approach of drafting a General Policy for the Safe and Ethical Use of AI Systems positions it as a key participant in global AI ethics and governance discussions.
However, rapid establishment of advanced digital infrastructure and governance, coupled with AI's inherent complexities, creates tension. The pressure for economic growth, aiming to expand the digital sector's GDP contribution, could inadvertently lead to an oversight gap in human-centric ethical considerations for equitable AI deployment.
Therefore, while Oman's proactive approach is commendable, its true test will be balancing rapid digital sector expansion with rigorous, adaptive, and human-inclusive AI governance. This challenge, not unique to Oman, will confront many nations navigating AI adoption.
Oman's Foundational Approach to AI Governance
Oman established a legal cornerstone for data protection with the Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree No. 6/2022. Oman's Personal Data Protection Law, Royal Decree No. 6/2022, alongside the 2025 General Policy for Safe and Ethical AI Use, reflects a deliberate strategy to regulate emerging technologies. Oman's digital infrastructure is strong: its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index score of 97.02/100 places it in Tier 1 globally, per unesco. An Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2024 composite score of 84 (openness 97, coverage 70), also from unesco, complements this. Oman possesses a strong foundational digital infrastructure and proactively develops policies, positioning it as a potential leader in responsible AI. Oman's strong foundational digital infrastructure and proactive policy development also sets a high standard for effective, human-centric implementation.
The Unseen Risks of Unchecked AI
AI deployment in policy processes carries substantial risks. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified pitfalls: data bias skewing problem definitions, over-optimization narrowing solutions, and digital divides with cybersecurity vulnerabilities undermining implementation. Data bias, over-optimization, and digital divides can subtly shift policies from their intended goals. The WHO also highlights epistemic injustice, where AI systems privilege quantifiable data, marginalizing lived experience, local expertise, Indigenous knowledge, and community insight. Beyond ethics, organizations failing to govern AI responsibly face penalties from thousands to $16 million in federal settlements, per elevateconsult. The range of risks, from systemic biases to severe financial repercussions, demands proactive, comprehensive AI governance frameworks.
Building Ethical Guardrails: A Global Blueprint
Global bodies articulate clear frameworks to mitigate AI risks. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends algorithmic impact assessments and technology readiness reviews before AI deployment. Post-deployment, the WHO advocates continuous integration of living evidence workflows with human verification and human-in-the-loop decision gateways, ensuring human oversight. Algorithmic impact assessments, technology readiness reviews, and continuous integration of living evidence workflows with human verification and human-in-the-loop decision gateways facilitate responsible AI innovation while mitigating bias, privacy breaches, and security threats, according to paloaltonetworks. Comprehensive AI governance, championed by global organizations, offers a practical roadmap for states and corporations to leverage AI benefits while systematically countering pitfalls through sustained human intervention.
Systemic Challenges and the Global AI Landscape
Beyond individual AI deployments, the global AI landscape presents systemic governance challenges. In 2024, antitrust authorities in the US, UK, and EU identified concentrated control of AI infrastructure as a primary competition concern, per upi. Concentrated control of AI infrastructure among limited developers impacts market fairness and innovation. AI's pervasive influence also extends to cybersecurity, which The New York Times states AI will fundamentally change. Effective AI governance must thus extend beyond specific policy frameworks to encompass market structure, competitive dynamics, and evolving national security.
Oman's Digital Future: Balancing Growth and Governance
Oman aims to boost its digital sector's GDP contribution from 3% by 2025 to 10% by 2040, per digital. Oman's ambitious target to boost its digital sector's GDP contribution from 3% by 2025 to 10% by 2040 incentivizes fast-tracking AI, potentially risking the "living evidence workflows with human verification" recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), crucial for preventing bias and epistemic injustice. Despite Oman's 97.02/100 Global Cybersecurity Index score (unesco) and proactive AI policy in criminal justice (Frontiers), AI systems risk privileging quantifiable data over "lived experience, local expertise, Indigenous knowledge, and community-based insight" (WHO). Oman's governance frameworks must actively guard against inadvertently marginalizing its citizens. This dual focus on rapid growth and human-centric governance necessitates continuous adaptation of ethical frameworks for equitable and secure outcomes.
If Oman successfully balances its ambitious 2040 digital GDP target with rigorous, human-centric AI governance, it appears likely to set a global benchmark for responsible technological integration.
