Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest!
Lots of news to share today. In today’s edition, Saudi Arabia earns World Bank recognition for AI leadership as business registrations surge 31%; Dubai launches a family AI literacy platform and a competition offering AED 2.5 million in prizes; Iraq considers establishing an AI ministry; and 79% of Gulf citizens now expect AI-enabled government according to a new survey report from BCG.
Scroll down for more news.
And we have a new Feature of the Week from Daniel Valle, CEO of SCC Middle East, who argues that - due to the arrival of new AI development tools - protecting software IP is now more of an architectural challenge than a legal one. Read it here!
Finally, it’s almost time for this year’s ADIA Lab Symposium! The three-day event takes place in Abu Dhabi from October 26-28. Find out more here.
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Economy
Saudi AI business registrations surge 31%
#Saudi #economy - Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce reports AI-related business registrations rose 31% to over 24,000, while cloud computing increased 35% to 7,000 and cybersecurity climbed 22% to 11,000. The ministry has also become the first government entity to adopt NVIDIA’s B300 AI suite. (Middle East AI News)
Research
98% of UAE firms report AI data access concerns
#UAE #cybersecurity - Research by US cybersecurity company Delinea finds 98% of UAE organisations have experienced confirmed or suspected AI access to sensitive data beyond authorised tasks. Although all respondents have AI data-access policies, only 59% actively enforce them, while just 16% can immediately terminate unauthorised access. (Middle East AI News)
79% of Gulf citizens expect AI-led government
#GCC #govenmentAI - Boston Consulting Group’s 2026 survey finds 79% of citizens in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE expect government services to become AI-centred. Comfort with AI and agentic services exceeds global peers by 30%, although confidence in AI’s benefits has declined 21 points since 2024. (Middle East AI News)
World Bank recognises Saudi AI leadership
#Saudi #economy - The World Bank has identified Saudi Arabia as a regional benchmark for AI development and data governance, highlighting the Saudi Data and AI Authority’s infrastructure and regulatory initiatives. Its latest regional economic report says enterprise AI adoption reached 28% in 2024, exceeding the OECD’s 2025 average. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
AI Models
Egypt’s Racore XYZ releases three open-source models
#Egypt #AImodels - Alexandria-based AI startup Racore XYZ has released three open-source models supporting business decision-making, cash-on-delivery order management and structured data processing. Designed to operate on modest hardware, the compact, task-specific models aim to make specialised Arabic-language AI more accessible to businesses across the region. (Middle East AI News)
Coding
Mashreq cuts software integration time by up to 70%
#UAE #banking - Dubai-based Mashreq is piloting IBM’s agentic software engineering platform, IBM Bob, reducing integration design and troubleshooting time by up to 70%. Working with IBM and GBM, the bank manages approximately 4,000 monthly AI agent requests through a secure gateway, improving development efficiency. (Middle East AI News)
Innovation
Sharjah launches AI industrial accelerator
#UAE #accelerators - Sharjah’s SPARK has launched an AI industrial accelerator supporting innovation across manufacturing, mobility, healthcare, water and food technology. It provides participating companies with access to laboratories, industrial testbeds, other opportunities, alongside cash prizes. (Middle East AI News)
Industry
Core42 targets 7,100 Italian firms for sovereign AI
#UAE #cloudcomputing - Abu Dhabi-based Core42 has partnered with Italian industrial association Assolombarda to advance sovereign AI and cloud adoption across Lombardy. Representing more than 7,100 companies employing over 440,000 people, the association will explore secure industrial applications through the forgIA platform, protecting sensitive data and intellectual property. (Middle East AI News)
Policy
Iraq considers AI ministry despite low readiness
#Iraq #government - Iraqi political blocs are discussing establishing an AI ministry, despite limited AI readiness. Iraq’s National Artificial Intelligence Center found only 19 of 64 assessed state institutions have clear AI adoption plans. (Shafaq News)
Guidelines
Dubai launches AI literacy platform for families
#UAE #education - Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence has launched GenDubAI, a bilingual educational platform helping families guide children aged 8 to 15 in using AI safely and responsibly. Developed with the Community Development Authority and Dubai Future Foundation, the platform promotes creativity, critical thinking, privacy awareness and parental engagement. (WAM)
Competitions
Dubai offers AED 2.5M in AI agents competition
#UAE #AgenticAI - Dubai has launched the Create AI Agents Championship, offering more than AED 2.5 million in prizes to encourage agentic AI innovation. Four category winners will receive AED 550,000 each, with an additional AED 1 million awarded to the AI Agent of the Year. (Middle East AI News)
Orange Jordan hackathon delivers 50 AI prototypes
#Jordan #hackathons - Orange Jordan sponsored the Amman AI Hackathon, organised by Fikr in partnership with Replit, attracting around 180 founders, engineers and students. Participants developed 50 working AI prototypes over two days, focusing on education technology and the future of work.(Zawya)
Data Protection
Oman amends personal data protection law
#Oman #dataprotection - Oman has issued Royal Decree 68/2026 amending its Personal Data Protection Law. The changes revise the law’s scope and exemptions, clarify circumstances where data processing permits and explicit consent are not required, and introduce provisions governing automated personal data processing. (Ministry of TCIT)
Farming
Algeria’s AirCrop uses drones for precision farming
#Algeria #agritech - Algiers-based startup AirCrop combines drones and AI to detect crop diseases, pest infestations and irrigation problems. Its Drone-as-a-Service model offers farmers crop monitoring, precision spraying and yield forecasting. (We Are Tech Africa)
ADIA Lab Symposium 2026
ADIA Lab to host three-day AI symposium in Abu Dhabi
#UAE #events - Abu Dhabi-based basic and applied research laboratory ADIA Lab will host its fourth annual symposium from 26 to 28 October 2026, bringing together leading scientists, researchers and industry experts. The ADIA Lab Symposium 2026 will explore AI prediction, system design and real-world deployment, covering advanced simulations, trustworthy AI, infrastructure integration and commercial applications. (ADIA Lab)