Saudi Arabia

Information uploaded as at September 2026

AT A GLANCE

Saudi Arabia has a broad national AI governance architecture, led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. Law enforcement uses AI-enabled tools to strengthen criminal investigations and public safety. The Ministry of Justice deployed the Najiz platform, which supports remote litigation by allowing filing, tracking and managing proceedings. Although there is no mandatory AI training system in Saudi criminal investigations, prosecutions or criminal courts, AI is being used for fraud detection, biometric identification, crime scene reconstruction and in the new reporting system of cyber harassment.

There is no national law expressly regulating the use of AI in criminal proceedings; instead, existing general frameworks apply, including data protection and privacy laws, cybersecurity frameworks, and constitutional protections of fundamental rights, alongside emerging national policies and guidelines on AI and data governance.

USE

Saudi Arabia is a unitary state with a highly centralised justice system, and criminal justice is administered under national institutions rather than through provincial or territorial authorities.

There is a developing national AI governance framework and a digitally advanced justice infrastructure, but AI tools used in Saudi criminal investigations, prosecutions or criminal courts remain limited. AI engagement is mainly driven by the Vision 2030 national strategy, with the Saudi Data and AI Authority (‘SDAIA’) acting as the key national authority for AI policy and governance. According to the Regulatory Arrangements of SDAIA, its objectives include providing data capabilities and foresight capabilities, continuous innovation in AI and advancing Saudi Arabia’s leadership in information, data and AI-based economic development.

Law enforcement

As at September 2026, Saudi Arabian law enforcement is primarily using AI to strengthen criminal investigations and public safety.

Predictive analytics

AI systems are reportedly being used by Saudi Arabian law enforcement to identify accident hotspots, seasonal patterns, repeat-offence trends, and other predictive indicators. For example, SDAIA’s Smart C platform (discussed below) reportedly monitors, analyses, and predicts operational indicators, including collision and congestion trends, to support intervention planning.

Data review and analysis

AI is used in Saudi Arabian law enforcement to improve real-time monitoring, officer deployment, and response speed. Examples include:

• Saher, launched in 2010, is an automated penalty system which uses roadside cameras and radars to detect traffic violations, retrieve vehicle data, and automatically issue fines by SMS. The system appears to be fully automated in ticket issuance, but maintains human oversight in its in-built process of appeal.
• EagleEye Intelligent Patrol, developed by Zenith Technologies for the Ministry of Interior, is an AI-enabled police patrol vehicle system, which provides real-time 360-degree situational awareness and combines AI cameras, ANPR, facial recognition, speed enforcement, and live transmission to command centres. Described as the world’s first AI drone embedded in a lightbar, it transmits real-time intelligence to police headquarters to help identify serious crime, road offences, and minor violations with precision.
• The Sawaher system, developed by SDAIA, is a national platform that uses AI and computer vision to analyse streams of images and videos and generate real-time insights. Its main application is traffic management, but it has also been used to support crowd management during pilgrimages.
• The Smart C platform, developed by SDAIA, uses data and AI technologies to monitor, analyse, and predict operational indicators, helping support decision-making in smart-city management. The information is fed by the system to human operators and command centres for review.

The CEO of the Center of Excellence for Smart Cities at SDAIA, Dr. Sattam M. Alsubaiee, said that SDAIA is using data and AI operationally to support smart-city management by giving decision-makers live metrics and figures on how cities are performing across different sectors. In practical terms, the systems help identify where improvements are needed, support public-service planning, and feed into wider smart-city infrastructure such as the Smart C platform, the National Data Bank & Estishraf, and the Government Cloud (DEEM). He also described AI as being applied to develop national smart-city algorithms and specialised solutions, including behavioural recognition, virtual portals, and crowd-counting. The operational aim is to improve decision-making, support key public spaces such as the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites, and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s own technical capacity while keeping local data within national systems.

Prosecutors

As at September 2026, there are no specific AI tools developed for prosecutors in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Justice has, however, launched an AI Unit in 2021 in an effort to apply technology and enrich user experience.

Prosecutors may use the legal research AI tools identified below (see ‘Defence’ section).

Courts

As at September 2026, there are only limited reports of AI platforms adopted by the Saudi judiciary. There are, however, indications that the Ministry is exploring broader integration of AI, potentially encompassing systems to assist in drafting judicial reasoning, as well as the prospective use of AI-supported clerks. This exploration comes after the deployment of a centralised and digitised court system, Najiz, for filing, tracking, and managing proceedings, with most hearings and sessions being conducted virtually and judgments delivered electronically.

Decision-making support

In March 2023, Yasser Al-Sudais, then Deputy Minister for Planning and Development at the Ministry of Justice, said the Saudi Ministry of Justice uses AI in predicting the judicial rulings or the judge’s decision, as well as in making recommendations that support the bench, in addition to verifying rulings and optical character recognition. Judges remain the final decision-makers.

Defence

Legal research, analysis and drafting support

Saudi Arabia does not have defence-specific AI tools, but general legal AI platforms may support defence counsel with research, drafting, document review, and workflow tasks. These tools are aimed at improving speed and consistency in legal work, with human review still required before reliance in any formal proceeding. Examples include:

1. Qanoniah: An AI-powered legal research assistant that delivers citation-backed answers to legal queries by searching and analysing over 100,000 Saudi laws, regulations, circulars, and judicial precedents. It is reported to be one of the most widely used legal research platforms in Saudi Arabia.
2. Qistas: A legal-operations platform that combines an AI assistant suite with a database of Arabic and English legislation and case law across nine Arab jurisdictions to support legal research, drafting, and workflow automation.
3. Arabic.ai: An Arabic-first enterprise AI suite that provides a library of purpose-built AI agents (including for legal and procurement work) plus translation, OCR, and speech capabilities, all running on an Arabic LLM and deployable on-premises or in a private cloud.
4. Wathiq: An AI workspace for Saudi legal teams focused on research, contract review, and document workflow, with outputs grounded in Saudi statutes.
5. Haseef: A Saudi legal AI assistant that helps users review contracts, draft legal documents, and get answers grounded in Saudi laws and court rulings.
6. Waddah AI: A smart legal assistant for Saudi Arabia that supports legal research, contract analysis, and drafting, including lawsuits and legal memos.
7. Shwra: An AI-powered legal solutions platform for Saudi users that aims to speed up legal workflows through research, drafting, and document review support.

Victims

Under Article 17 of the Law of Criminal Procedure and Article 3 of the implementing regulation, victims have independent standing in criminal proceedings if the crime affected their private rights.

As at September 2026, there are no reports of victims in criminal proceedings making use of AI.

TRAINING

As at September 2026, there is currently no mandatory or systematic training on AI for legal professionals or law enforcement in Saudi Arabia.

Nevertheless, AI legal training in Saudi Arabia is developing alongside the Kingdom’s broader judicial digitalisation agenda. The AI Adoption Framework (see ‘Regulation’ section below) calls for training and strategic academic partnerships, and recommends career development plans and credentials linked to certified programmes and Saudi Data and AI Authority (‘SDAIA’) Academy, which may be undertaken by legal professionals. AI training provided by SDAIA includes:

In another example, in September 2025, the 2nd International Conference on Judicial Training was held in Riyadh, featuring AI-based litigation simulation tools, aimed at improving the skills of judges and legal professionals in case classification, drafting, and procedural reasoning, while maintaining human oversight and compliance with local legal and ethical standards.

REGULATION

AI Regulation

As at September 2026, there is no express legislation governing the use of AI in criminal or court proceedings in Saudi Arabia.

However, the AI Adoption Framework, published by SDAIA in September 2024 at the third Global AI Summit in Riyadh, and later amended in May 2025, provides a national roadmap for implementing AI projects across government and industry in a controlled and responsible way. This is in line with the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals and wider governance standards. The Framework is aligned with national standards including SDAIA’s AI Ethics Principles (such as transparency, fairness, and accountability), as well as the Personal Data Protection Law and its implementing regulations.The Framework is structured around three pillars:

1. Directions: AI strategy, governance effectiveness, strategic vision, initiative design, and alignment with national goals;

2. Enablers: staffing and talent retention, reliability of data, integration of AI infrastructure, continuous development, training and development of a specialised human workforce; and

3. Outcomes: measuring the operational success of deploying AI models, security monitoring, cost reduction, and improvements in service quality.

The Framework recommends that adopting entities set up dedicated AI governance units, integrate internal policies that assign accountability for AI outputs, document the full lifecycle of each AI model, build privacy and security into systems by design, apply role-based access controls to data, and assess their AI maturity against four levels (emerging, developed, proficient and advanced). It also links AI roles and training to SDAIA-accredited certifications. The Framework is non-binding and does not refer specifically to criminal proceedings. However, its governance, documentation and data-protection expectations would apply to public bodies in the justice sector, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecution and law enforcement agencies, when they procure, develop or deploy AI tools, including tools used in investigations, prosecutions or court proceedings.

Guidelines for practitioners

Practitioners in Saudi Arabia may be guided by SDAIA policies and the ordinary professional duties of care and confidentiality. Government guidelines include practical expectations such as legal and ethical checks, data-processing controls, training, and output verification before using generative AI in public-sector work.

SDAIA, Generative AI for Government Guidelines (2024)

The SDAIA’s Generative AI for Government Guidelines, published in 2024, provide practical guidance for public-sector practitioners. The Guidelines require users to review and edit outputs and remain responsible for content used, prohibit entering restricted or higher classified data, and direct users to limit use to public data. They also state that generative AI must not be used in critical decision-making affecting individuals or the Kingdom’s vital interests.The Framework is addressed to users of generative AI in government entities. Therefore, it is most relevant to legal practitioners working in the public sector, such as judges and court staff; members of the Public Prosecution; law enforcement officers and government lawyers.

The Guidelines call for clear notice when generative AI is used in public interactions, notification when content is AI-generated, the use of alternative non-automated channels where appropriate, and use of watermarks to help identify AI-created content. They require public-sector users to verify AI-generated content using other sources, proofread for factual accuracy and contextual relevance, and eliminate bias and discrimination. The Guidelines also identify systems affecting basic rights as high risk and systems involving social profiling, child exploitation or distorted behaviour as unacceptable.

The SDAIA’s AI Ethics Principles (2023)

The SDAIA’s AI Ethics Principles, published in 2023, set the baseline ethical rules for AI use in Saudi Arabia, including fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, safety, and human oversight. Practitioners should use them as the main reference point for responsible AI deployment.

The Principles identify four risk categories, with controls that increase according to the level of risk associated with the development or use of AI:

1. little or no risk, for which no restrictions on AI systems exist, although compliance with the Principles is recommended;
2. limited risk, e.g., technical programs related to function, development, and performance, which is subject to the application of the Principles;
3. high risk systems, which require pre- and post-compliance assessments and compliance with related regulatory requirements; and
4. unacceptable risk systems, which are prohibited. They include social scoring systems, child exploitation and behaviour distortion causing physical or psychological harm.

The framework sets out seven ethical principles, each defined with specific obligations at four stages of the AI lifecycle (plan and design; prepare input data; build and validate; and deploy and monitor).

Gulf Cooperation Council, AI Ethics Guidelines for Prosecutors (2023)

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (‘GCC’) AI Ethics Guidelines for Prosecutors were adopted by the GCC Committee of Attorneys General and Public Prosecutors at its fifteenth meeting in Muscat, Oman on 16 October 2023. They are relevant in Saudi Arabia as a GCC member, and set out non-binding regional ethical guidance relevant to any future AI use in charging.

The Guidelines include eight principles setting out practical expectations for AI developers and operators in prosecutors’ offices. Their overarching objective is to achieve maximum benefit from AI systems while protecting rights and freedoms.

SDAIA Deepfakes Guidelines (2026)

There are also specific SDAIA guidelines published in relation to deepfakes, titled ‘Deepfakes Guidelines: Mitigating Risks While Fostering Innovation’. Deepfakes are synthetic audio, image or video content generated or manipulated using AI to show people saying or doing things they did not say or do. The Guidelines distinguish between malicious and non-malicious uses of deepfakes and identify three main categories of malicious use: impostor scams, non-consensual manipulation (such as explicit or compromising content created without consent) and disinformation.

For practitioners working on criminal cases, the framework offers helpful guidance for detection and authentication of deepfakes. Separately, it outlines the obligations placed on developers and content creators, against which practitioners measure compliance when challenging or defending where the materials originated from and when investigating under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law that involve deepfake content.

Criminal procedure rules

Law of Criminal Procedure (2013)

The Law of Criminal Procedure 2013 is the foundational statute governing criminal investigations, prosecutions and trials in Saudi Arabia. While it establishes a comprehensive framework regulating the various stages of the criminal justice process, it contains no provisions addressing or regulating the use of AI. Any AI tool deployed in the investigative, prosecutorial or trial phases would therefore operate against the Law’s existing procedural safeguards. Some relevant provisions which refer to the use of expert evidence, likely to prove useful in explaining or challenging the outputs of an AI tool used in an investigation, include:

• Articles 76-78: allow investigators to seek the assistance of an expert with respect to any matter relating to the investigation; and
• Article 171: sets out the court’s power to appoint experts on technical questions.

Law of Evidence (2021)

The Law of Evidence 2021 applies primarily to civil and commercial transactions and applies to criminal cases only where criminal procedure legislation contains no specific provision. It recognises digital evidence, defining it as evidence derived from data generated, issued, delivered, stored or communicated by digital means and retrievable in comprehensible form, including digital registers, documents, signatures, correspondence, communication means, digital media and other digital evidence. It provides that digital evidence has the same probative value as writing, and sets rules for official and unofficial digital evidence. A litigant that claims digital evidence is invalid bears the burden of proving invalidity. Digital and electronic evidence is recognised, but admissibility and weight are still governed by existing evidential and procedural rules, with courts retaining significant discretion.

Depending on the issue, the Electronic Transactions Law 2007 may also be relevant, and in some situations there is an overlap with the Personal Data Protection Law, particularly where personal data is involved.

Remote Litigation Manual

The Remote Litigation Manual permits documents and evidence to be presented through screen sharing during video hearings after court approval, but does not identify embedded AI, machine learning or automated judicial decision-making in that workflow.

Data protection legislation

The Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) (Royal Decree No. M/19 of 2021), as amended by Royal Decree No. M/148 of 2023, controls the processing of personal data in Saudi Arabia as well as processing outside the Kingdom of data relating to individuals residing in the country. There are also two related instruments: the Implementing Regulations to the PDPL and the Regulations on Personal Data Transfers outside the Kingdom (the Transfer Regulations).

The PDPL and its Implementing Regulations provide a degree of oversight for AI systems that process personal data, but they do not comprehensively address the broader legal and ethical issues arising from the use of AI. The PDPL is especially important where AI tools handle sensitive, biometric, or identifiable information, and practitioners should ensure lawful collection, use, and disclosure of data. Controllers must indicate whether decisions will be made based solely on automated processing, in which case explicit consent is required. Impact assessments are required for processing involving sensitive data, new technologies, continuous monitoring or automated decision-making.

The PDPL must also be read alongside the wider Saudi Arabian regulatory framework, including sector-specific rules issued by bodies such as the Saudi Central Bank, the National Cybersecurity Authority, and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).

Cybersecurity laws

The main cybersecurity instruments in Saudi Arabia are sectoral and national cybersecurity controls rather than an AI-specific cybersecurity statute. Broadly, legal and public-sector AI systems must protect sensitive data against unauthorised access, leakage, and manipulation.

Human rights

Human rights are central to Saudi Arabia’s AI governance framework, discussed above (see ‘AI Regulations’ section).

Saudi Arabia’s Basic Law of Governance 1992 provides that the judiciary is an independent authority and that judges are subject only to Islamic Sharia in their judgments (Article 46). It also recognises the equal right to litigation (Articles 47 to 49). Other relevant provisions referring to human rights protections include:

• Article 26, under which the State shall protect human rights in accordance with the Sharia.
• Article 36 protects against unwarranted seizure such that no person may be confined, arrested or imprisoned without reference to the Law.
• Article 37, under which homes are inviolable and may not be entered or searched without the owner’s permission except in cases specified by law.
• Article 38, under which punishment is personal and there is no crime or punishment except on the basis of a Sharia or statutory provision, and no punishment for acts committed before that provision came into force.
• Article 40 which holds that the privacy of telegraphic and postal communications, and telephone and other means of communication are inviolate.

Saudi Arabia has a Human Rights Commission (‘HRC’), with the mandate to ensure implementation of human rights laws and the power to review and propose amendments.

The Kingdom has adopted the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021), which, while non-binding, sets principles on transparency, accountability, and human rights protections that extend to justice-sector applications.

Saudi Arabia is not bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, it has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which contains relevant provisions, including:

• Article 40 – Juvenile justice: requires that a child alleged, accused of, or recognised as having infringed the penal law be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child’s sense of dignity and worth, reinforcing respect for the human rights of others, and taking into account the child’s age and the desirability of reintegration.
• Article 16 – Right to privacy: provides that no child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on their honour and reputation, and that the child has the right to the protection of the law against such interference.

Outlook

Saudi Arabia is likely to continue expanding AI use across its judicial system, but from a base that remains largely administrative. The outlook is gradual formalisation rather than a single comprehensive AI statute. The current trajectory is toward more detailed guidance from SDAIA, continued use of the AI Ethics Principles, and sector-specific adoption under the AI Adoption Framework.

The Saudi AI Study titled ‘Towards a Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for AI in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Study of International Best Practices for AI Systems and Policies’, published by the Center of Legal Studies and Research in 2024, identifies several key questions for the next phase of development in Saudi Arabia’s approach to the use of AI in criminal proceedings. These include how AI-based advisory tools can be designed and deployed without compromising judicial independence as (guaranteed under Article 46 of the Basic Law of Governance); how institutional mechanisms can ensure that AI-generated outputs remain consistent with the principles of Islamic Sharia; and how litigants’ rights to challenge or contest AI-assisted determinations can be effectively safeguarded in practice.

On 10 March 2026, the Council of Ministers approved the designation of 2026 as the Year of AI in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the country’s focus on leveraging advanced technologies. On 3 April 2026, SDAIA published a draft Responsible AI Policy for public consultation, showing a shift towards regulation. As of September 2026, this policy is not yet published. A list of evolving regulations can be found on the SDAIA website.

CASES

As at September 2026, Saudi Arabia has not reported any cases in which AI systems used in courts or in criminal justice have been formally reviewed or sanctions have been imposed for violations, nor on the use or admissibility of AI-generated content (including deepfakes) in criminal proceedings.

Copyright

In September 2025, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) imposed a fine of 9,000 riyals on an individual for violating copyright law by modifying a personal photograph using AI and republishing it without the original owner’s consent. A specialised committee confirmed the violation and issued the financial penalty. SAIP emphasised that using AI to manipulate or repurpose personal content without authorisation does not exempt individuals or institutions from legal responsibility.