The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched the National Framework for AI Risk Management, serving as a guiding reference that provides a unified national methodology for identifying, assessing, treating, and monitoring risks, enabling government and private entities to adopt this technology in a safe and responsible manner aligned with national priorities and directions.

SDAIA stated in a statement on its X platform account that the framework is launched amid the rapid expansion of adopting AI technologies in developing businesses and services globally and locally, due to the potential risks of its systems that differ in nature from traditional technical systems, and their potential impacts on individuals, entities, and the national economy.

SDAIA explained that AI risks are inherently different from traditional software risks, as they may emerge unpredictably during operation, system performance may change over time, and their behavior and results are difficult to interpret and reproduce, making risk identification and assessment more complex and requiring an integrated management methodology.

The risk management methodology is based on a comprehensive lifecycle comprising four interconnected stages: context and scope identification, risk identification, assessment, and treatment, followed by continuous monitoring and review. The risk level is calculated using a matrix linking probability and impact, standardizing assessment mechanisms across entities and supporting comparison and prioritization of treatment.

The Authority indicated that the framework is 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 benefits. It classifies AI risks into seven main types to ensure comprehensive identification without overlooking any essential risk category.

According to SDAIA's statement, the framework includes a practical scenario simulating a government entity's use of a model for internal reports, demonstrating the identification, assessment, treatment, and monitoring of related risks, providing entities with a practical model applicable across various sectors and digital maturity stages.

This framework is part of SDAIA's efforts to establish responsible and safe use of AI technologies and enable national entities to adopt them, based on its role as the national reference for data and AI in the Kingdom, and its contribution to enhancing the digital innovation ecosystem in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Interested parties can view the National Framework for AI Risk Management via the following link:

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