Global AI lawPDPL in force; AI governed by SDAIA principles

AI Laws in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia governs AI through its data authority, SDAIA (the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority), rather than a dedicated AI Act. The binding instrument is the Personal Data Protection Law (Royal Decree M/19 of 2021, amended 2023), which became fully enforceable on 14 September 2024 and carries fines up to SAR 5 million plus criminal liability for misuse of sensitive data. On top of it, SDAIA has issued non-binding AI Ethics Principles (2023) and Generative AI Guidelines (2024) covering fairness, transparency, accountability and human oversight, all aligned with the National Strategy for Data & AI and Vision 2030's goal of becoming a top-tier AI economy. Companies deploying AI must comply with the PDPL and are expected to follow SDAIA's guidelines.