GENEVA: Saudi Arabia’s Digital Cooperation Organization has launched a pioneering policy tool designed to help governments, businesses and developers ensure artificial intelligence systems are ethically sound and aligned with human rights principles, it was announced on Friday.
Unveiled during the AI for Good Summit 2025 and the WSIS+20 conference in Geneva, the DCO AI Ethics Evaluator marks an important milestone in the organization’s efforts to translate its principles for ethical AI into practical action, it said.
The tool is a self-assessment framework enabling users to identify and mitigate ethical risks associated with AI technologies across six key dimensions.
It provides tailored reports featuring visual profiles and actionable recommendations, aiming to embed ethical considerations at every stage of AI development and deployment.
Speaking at the launch, Omar Saud Al-Omar, Kuwait’s minister of state for communication affairs and current chairman of the DCO Council, described the tool as a resource to help AI stakeholders “align with ethical standards and apply strategies to mitigate human rights impacts.”
He said it drew on extensive research and global consultation to address the growing demand for responsible AI governance.
DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al-Yahya highlighted the urgency of the initiative: “AI without ethics is not progress, it’s a threat. A threat to human dignity, to public trust, and to the very values that bind our societies together.”
She continued: “This is not just another checklist, it is a principled stand, built on best practices and rooted in human rights, to confront algorithmic bias, data exploitation and hidden ethical blind spots in AI.”
Al-Yahya emphasized the evaluator’s wide applicability: “It’s not just for governments, but for anyone building our digital future — developers, regulators, innovators. This is a compass for responsible AI, because ethical standards are no longer optional. They are non-negotiable.”
Alaa Abdulaal, the DCO’s chief of digital economy intelligence, provided a demonstration of the tool at the launch.
“The future of AI will not be shaped by how fast we code, but by the values we choose to encode,” he said.
Also in Geneva, the “AI Readiness Assessment Framework” was reviewed by the Saudi Data & AI Authority.
This key initiative was developed in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union at the third Global AI Summit, held in Riyadh last year.
During the session, SDAIA representatives included Mohammed Al-Awad, director general of studies, and Rehab Al-Arfaj, director general of strategic partnerships and indicators. They praised the Kingdom’s global role in the governance and development of artificial intelligence technologies and emphasized its contributions to strengthening cooperation.
They also stressed several pioneering national AI initiatives and projects. These included “Aynay,” one of the Kingdom’s advanced medical solutions, which accurately detects and diagnoses diabetic retinopathy.
In addition, Al-Awad and Al-Arfaj highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts in launching the “AI Readiness Assessment Framework,” which embodies the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting safe, responsible and sustainable use and development of AI systems.
