National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies:

The National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies was launched in response to the speech of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik during the opening of the eighth session of the Oman Council on 30 Rabi' Al-Akhir 1445 AH, corresponding to November 14, 2023. His Majesty emphasized the need to prepare a national program to implement and localize AI technologies, expediting the development of legislation that facilitates making these technologies essential enablers and motivators for these sectors. This program is part of Oman Vision 2040, which aims to make information and communication technology one of the key sectors driving the national economy. The "National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies" aims to promote the adoption of AI in economic and developmental sectors, localize advanced digital technologies, and achieve effective governance for AI applications with a human-centered vision. The program also aims to advance global indicators, as Oman strives to be among the top 50 countries in the AI Government Readiness Index published by Oxford Insights. The program consists of three main axes:

1. Enhancing and Adopting AI: This axis focuses on supporting the use of AI technologies across various sectors to improve service quality and operational efficiency.

2. Localizing AI Technologies: This targets building local capacities and competencies through encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors, developing infrastructure, and enhancing research and development in AI.

3. Governance of AI Applications: This aims to establish legislative and regulatory frameworks necessary to ensure the safe and ethical use of AI technologies, protecting data privacy and fostering trust in advanced digital technologies.