On December 10, 2023, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (the Ministry) announced that it is actively pursuing measures to improve institutional readiness for adopting artificial intelligence (AI) across approximately 18 governmental bodies through the 'measurement of AI readiness in the public sector' project.

Ahmad Al Hanandeh, the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, highlighted that these steps encompass a careful analysis of announced results to comprehend strengths, weaknesses, and areas necessitating development within each institution. Additionally, implementing institutional plans and strategies to fortify and enhance the public sector's AI domain aligns with the national AI strategy, ensuring convergence in projects and goals.

Moreover, the Ministry aims to foster collaborations or partnerships with relevant entities such as organizations, academic institutions, or industries and aims to contribute to the development and enhancement of AI utilization in the public sector. The Ministry is contemplating a potential second phase for the project, which could involve the participation of other governmental institutions and departments in the upcoming evaluation process.

The project, announced in June 2023, aims to assess institutional readiness to adopt AI technology through six primary criteria; skills, data and its readiness and integration, digital infrastructure related to AI application, operations and policies, analytics, and integration, to analyze gaps, weaknesses, and key challenges prevailing within these institutions.

You can read the press release, only available in Arabic, here.