RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has launched a national artificial intelligence risk management framework to guide government and private entities in the safe and responsible adoption of AI.
Aligned with Vision 2030, the framework will serve as a national reference, offering a unified methodology for identifying, assessing, treating and monitoring AI risks, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.
The authority said AI systems posed risks that differed from those associated with traditional technology, with potential impacts on individuals, institutions and the national economy.
Unlike conventional software risks, those related to AI might emerge unexpectedly during operation, performance may change over time, and system behavior can be difficult to interpret or reproduce, the authority said.
The framework is built around an end-to-end risk management lifecycle with four stages: defining context and scope, identifying risks, assessing and treating risks, and continuous monitoring and review.
To standardize assessments across entities, the authority said risk levels were calculated using a matrix linking likelihood with impact, supporting comparison and prioritization.
The framework is also based on seven core principles: integrity and fairness, privacy and security, humanity, reliability and safety, transparency and explainability, accountability and responsibility, and social and environmental benefit.
Separately, the authority said the framework classifies AI risks into seven main categories to ensure comprehensive risk identification and prevent critical areas from being overlooked.
It includes a scenario simulating a government entity using an AI model to prepare internal reports, demonstrating how risks can be identified, assessed, treated and monitored across different sectors and levels of digital maturity.
The authority said the initiative was part of its efforts to promote the responsible and safe use of AI and help national entities adopt the technology in line with the Kingdom’s digital innovation goals.
