Oman Accelerates AI Investments with Strategic Focus on Digital Innovation
Oman is making significant strides in its national artificial intelligence (AI) agenda, committing millions of rials to develop AI-powered applications, boost research, and enhance public sector efficiency, as reported by Gulf Business. Between 2021 and 2024, the government invested approximately $156 million in AI initiatives, aiming to establish the sultanate as a regional leader in digital innovation.
Strategic Investment in AI Projects
Dr. Salem bin Humaid Al-Shuaili, director of AI Projects at the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, highlighted the ongoing investments as part of a broader strategy. In 2023, the government allocated OMR10 million, and in 2024, it increased this amount to OMR15 million through the "Artificial Intelligence Economics" initiative.
These funds are directed towards AI projects across various sectors, including agriculture, urban planning, air quality monitoring, drone surveying, and aquaculture.
The National Programme for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies is leading this effort, focusing on localising AI technologies, ensuring ethical governance, and promoting cross-sector integration. As part of this program, AI applications are currently being trialed in controlled environments to assess their feasibility for large-scale implementation.
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Improving Global AI Readiness
Oman’s commitment to AI development has been recognized globally, with the country climbing five positions in the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index to 45th globally out of 193 countries. This improvement underscores Oman’s growing institutional capacity to develop and implement AI policies.
One of the most ambitious projects is the development of “Oman GPT,” a national language model aimed at boosting productivity in the public sector. Additionally, the “Oman Studio” innovation hub will connect AI talent with industry needs, fostering collaboration and development.
According to Gulf Business, the Ministry of Higher Education has also launched a Strategic Research Programme, aligning academic research on AI with national priorities. One notable project under this initiative is exploring the implications of generative AI in education, undertaken by the National University of Science and Technology.
Tangible AI Outcomes
Oman’s AI initiatives have already shown promising results. The "Engineer it with AI" competition led to the creation of eight generative AI applications, now available on global online marketplaces. Furthermore, the country is set to open a Fourth Industrial Revolution Centre in early 2025, which will be the 22nd globally and the 6th in the Middle East.
Al-Shuaili emphasized Oman’s goal to increase AI-related investments by 20% annually and continue improving its global AI readiness ranking in the coming years.
