Muscat: According to an Oman News Agency (ONA) report issued under the economic file of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), the Sultanate is spearheading a package of executive programs centered on AI—recognized as the cornerstone of its digital economy initiative. These efforts aim to localize AI technologies, foster human-centric governance, and drive innovation across various sectors.
In a major milestone, Oman climbed five spots in the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index to rank 45th out of 193 countries globally. The National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies, which focuses on integration, localization, and ethical governance, has already borne fruit with initiatives like the “Engineer it with AI” competition. Eight generative AI applications from the competition have since reached global online marketplaces.
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has piloted AI-powered projects in areas such as agriculture, urban planning, air quality, drone surveying, and smart fish farms. These trials are conducted in controlled environments to evaluate their viability before large-scale implementation.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education launched a Strategic Research Program to align AI research with national priorities. One standout initiative from the National University of Science and Technology focuses on assessing the benefits and risks of generative AI in education—developing smart models and educational data analytics to support future policies.
The “Artificial Intelligence Economics” initiative, a major driver of economic diversification, received OMR 10 million in 2023 and OMR 15 million in 2024. It supports national projects such as the National Center for Virtual Health, Geological Data Analysis, and the Oman Investment Dashboard.
Highlighting future plans, Dr. Salem bin Humaid Al-Shuaili, Director of AI Projects at the Ministry, revealed that Oman aims to further rise in the AI readiness rankings and grow AI-related investments by 20% annually. He noted that a national language model, “Oman GPT”, is in development to boost public sector efficiency, alongside “Oman Studio”, an AI innovation hub connecting talent with industry needs.
Oman is also establishing a Fourth Industrial Revolution Center—the sixth in the Middle East and 22nd globally—which is expected to open in early 2025.
