His Excellency Saqr Ghobash, the Speaker of the Federal National Council, emphasized the necessity of adopting legislative standards that align with the transnational nature of artificial intelligence. He noted the urgent need for international agreements focusing on transparency, accountability, and ethical and legal frameworks concerning AI usage. These agreements aim to enhance innovation, which is crucial for tackling significant threats to humanity, including climate change, food security, water security, and energy issues.
In his remarks today (Tuesday) during the opening session of the inaugural Legislative Parliamentary Forum, he stated that the United Arab Emirates, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has established a unique national philosophy to navigate major technological transformations. This philosophy holds that artificial intelligence and digital advances should serve to elevate human value while also enhancing well-being and personal development.
He added that this vision is reflected in the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, which seeks to use technology as a tool for sustainable development, linking scientific ambition with human and environmental considerations. This is exemplified by the “Emirates Stargate,” a colossal AI complex outside the United States, which is the first worldwide to operate on clean energy.
Ghobash expressed his gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Advisor, for his visionary support of the UAE’s AI journey, evolving from a user of technology to a creator of its direction for developmental purposes. He asserted that the Federal National Council is committed to formulating legislation that accommodates innovation while ensuring it is not released without regulations, embracing technological revolutions without compromising values and ethics.
The speaker remarked that AI has become a powerful force reshaping concepts of politics, economics, governance, sovereignty, and even societal and human relationships. This development requires parliaments to redefine legislative functions in an era where the temporal unit is no longer measured in “months or years,” but rather by “technology cycles,” which daily present nations and communities with challenges. These challenges involve not just keeping pace with technological advancements but also directing them to serve humanity and ensuring they do not threaten societal safety.
Accordingly, Ghobash noted that legislation, in both concept and practice, faces equations on national and international levels. Nationally, legislation must fundamentally support national sovereignty by reinforcing a country’s control over its sensitive data while ensuring cross-border interoperability without sacrificing privacy and security. It should also foster an economy that generates social value and establish legal frameworks that create AI as both a “technological abundance” and a “social value,” ensuring transparency and accountability in the deployment of intelligent systems and regulating the relationship between AI and the labor market.
On an international level, which poses the true challenge for legislation and humanity alike, the real test lies in the international community’s capacity, alongside parliamentary institutions, to formulate cross-border legislation within a global framework that balances innovation with the reduction of existential and social risks.
He further warned that this noble pursuit will face the obstacle of fierce competition, as advanced nations and major tech companies have entered into a phase of “technological arms race.” This could lead to AI evolving into a force without constraints or oversight, potentially creating chaos and threatening community and national security.