UAE explores AI-assisted law making and ‘dynamic’ regulatory regime

Dubai-based Marie Chowdhry of Pinsent Masons was commenting after the vision was outlined in a UAE federal government white paper presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2026.

The vision broadly imagines a world where law and regulation is no longer reflected in static documents. Instead, all relevant legislation, regulation and case law in the UAE – from onshore and offshore jurisdictions such as the DIFC and ADGM – would be brought together in a ‘unified regulatory digital twin’, which is described as “a real-time, virtual mirror of the UAE’s entire regulatory system which essentially creates a live digital replica of all lawmaking materials and their operation”.

The information contained in this system would be machine-readable, enabling users to interact with it in a dynamic way: the UAE government envisages users being able to ask questions with a view to the system identifying laws relevant to specific scenarios or explaining how existing laws might interact with prospective new laws policymakers might be considering introducing in response to technological developments.

As well as being able to surface “gaps, conflicts and redundancies that are difficult to detect in the conventional way”, the system would enable AI-assisted drafting of new legislation for review, within parameters set by humans, and it would also facilitate real-time monitoring of the impact of a new law, against defined metrics, to gauge how successful the measures have been. The feedback mechanisms could inform policymakers’ decisions on whether to issue “targeted guidance” or make “local adjustments” to existing legislation, according to the white paper.

The UAE government has outlined some core principles under which any new system of regulatory intelligence would operate. One principle stresses that “legislative coherence and clarity” would be prioritised over the enablement of “faster law”. Other principles provide for human oversight, continuous improvement and agility, and transparency and accessibility. Secure and ethical use of the new system is another guiding principle that has been outlined.

A new Regulatory Intelligence Office is to lead on delivering the vision.

The UAE government said: “The UAE now has the institutional, digital and human capital foundations to redesign how laws are conceived, drafted and maintained.”

Marie Chowdhry of Pinsent Masons said: “The UAE’s move toward an AI‑enabled, continuously updated regulatory ecosystem could fundamentally change how organisations operate – including how regulatory lawyers such as myself are lent upon to interpret legislative provisions or provide market insight into how a regulator may address a particular scenario. Under an AI-enabled legal framework, clients can expect faster, more data‑driven regulatory shifts and closer, real‑time oversight from authorities, which is a major departure from traditional, slower legislative cycles.”

“Businesses will need to enhance their regulatory responsiveness, data governance frameworks, and organisational readiness for AI-driven oversight to operate effectively in this new environment. Early adopters will be better positioned to mitigate regulatory risk and engage constructively in shaping future frameworks,” she said.

“Furthermore, the whitepaper makes clear that AI will assist, as opposed to replace, human lawmakers, whereby at every critical point from data to decision, a duly authorised human will remain in command. This suggests that the UAE is envisioning role-based authorities, kill switches, audit trails, ethics and risk reviews, privacy protections and robust cybersecurity to ensure that the AI-native framework reinforces intelligent governance,” said Chowdhry.