The UAE government has unveiled a landmark whitepaper titled “The UAE: Shaping the Future of Regulatory Intelligence, from a static rulebook to a living, AI-powered regulatory ecosystem” at the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Developed by the General Secretariat of the UAE Cabinet in collaboration with Presight, a G42 company, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the whitepaper sets out the UAE’s vision and practical framework for a Regulatory Intelligence Ecosystem. It advances a proactive and future-focused approach to regulation, shifting from rigid frameworks to a flexible and adaptive ecosystem aligned with the demands of the Intelligent Age and the UAE’s national priorities. The model is data-driven, rooted in societal values, and inspired by the strategic vision of the country’s leadership.
The whitepaper introduces several pioneering concepts, including the world’s first Regulatory Intelligence Glossary, aimed at creating a common language and unified methodology for legislators, policymakers and technology developers. It also outlines a novel application of digital twin technology through the Unified Regulatory Digital Twin, a real-time digital representation of the UAE’s regulatory ecosystem that tracks changes, analyses data, recommends legislative updates and simulates economic and societal impacts while connecting with enforcement and judicial mechanisms. Addressing the constitutional and ethical implications of AI in regulation, the paper presents the Sovereign Governance-in-the-Loop (SGiL) framework, reinforcing AI’s role as an enabler rather than a replacement for lawmakers, with human oversight maintained at every critical decision stage. It further underscores the continued importance of human expertise in the Intelligent Age through the development of future-facing hybrid roles that integrate legal and technological capabilities.
