The Islamic World Artificial Intelligence Index—launched Tuesday in Baku, Azerbaijan, by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)—is one of the major initiatives stemming from the Riyadh Charter on Artificial Intelligence for the Islamic World. The charter was announced during the third Global AI Summit 2024 in Riyadh.
Designed to align AI development with Islamic values, the Riyadh Charter outlines a comprehensive framework to advance ethical AI practices. It encourages governments, policymakers, research institutions, and international organizations across the Islamic world to collaborate, exchange expertise, and promote responsible adoption of modern technologies in line with universal human values.
SDAIA
During the launch event in Baku, a high-level session featured Dr. Majid Al-Shehri, spokesperson for the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA). He emphasized that the Riyadh Charter establishes foundational principles and that the new AI Index will translate these principles into measurable indicators, standards, and actionable roadmaps to evaluate countries’ readiness and progress in AI adoption.
Dr. Al-Shehri also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s leadership in global AI ethics through the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), now a key platform for ethical dialogue, research, and human-capacity development. He also noted that Saudi Arabia has already launched its National AI Index (NAII), which assesses the maturity of AI use across government entities based on governance, digital infrastructure, human capital, data quality, applications, and achieved impact.
All 53 ICESCO member states unanimously endorsed the Riyadh Charter during the organization’s 45th Executive Council session in March 2025, recognizing it as a landmark step toward establishing a unified ethical and strategic framework for AI throughout the Islamic world.
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