Saudi Arabia’s cultural ecosystem is participating in the fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence 2026 in Riyadh, presenting initiatives and tools designed to promote the responsible use of AI in cultural and creative fields.

The forum is being held at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is hosting it through the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), in cooperation with UNESCO and the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), and in coordination with the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

At its forum pavilion, the Ministry of Culture is presenting the Guidance Guide for the Ethics of AI Use in the Cultural Sector. The guide provides a practical framework to help cultural-sector professionals and practitioners use new technologies responsibly while retaining the central role of people in the creative process.

The guide seeks to balance AI’s potential to develop cultural products, services and practices with ethical considerations, foremost among them transparency, fairness, intellectual-property protection and respect for the rights of authors, artists and creators, as well as the preservation of cultural authenticity and diversity.

The framework underscores the value of AI as a tool to support human creativity and empower cultural practitioners, enabling more innovative content and experiences without compromising the values, meanings and identity at the heart of cultural production.

The participation also highlights the role of the Cultural Development Fund in enabling sector enterprises, and introduces the AI Incentives Programme, which supports the adoption and development of AI-based solutions within cultural projects.

Several entities from the cultural ecosystem are taking part in accompanying sessions and workshops, including the Ministry of Culture, the Museums Commission, the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language, the Heritage Commission and the Cultural Development Fund.

Their contributions address cultural and linguistic diversity in the age of AI, ethical technology use in museums, and the future of cultural work amid AI and digital transformation.

The forum brings together more than 100 global speakers and experts, alongside representatives of governments, international organisations, the private sector, and scientific and academic institutions. It examines responsible governance, the safe and ethical development of emerging technologies, privacy, digital diplomacy, government readiness, and the protection of cultural and linguistic diversity.

The cultural ecosystem’s participation reflects a commitment to using technological advances to strengthen innovation and cultural production while placing people, creativity, identity and intellectual rights at the centre of AI adoption, in line with the National Culture Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.