UAE Becomes First Country to Regulate AI in Election Campaigns

The National Elections Committee has introduced a policy regulating the use of artificial intelligence in Federal National Council election campaigns—the first of its kind globally.

Unveiled by Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, the National Elections Committee Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence was developed in partnership with the Federal National Council and the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs. The framework requires all candidates to declare and register any AI tools used in their campaigns to ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the electoral process.

The initiative aligns with wider efforts to modernise governance through technology, including an integrated smart legislative system powered by AI to support the study, drafting, and evaluation of laws, and the use of legislative laboratories to test regulations in controlled environments before wider rollout.

The UAE is also formulating advanced laws for AI use in financial services within Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s financial free zones, and developing guidelines for the use of AI in journalism and digital content creation to address challenges such as misinformation and deepfakes.