Responsible AI and the rise of AI cyber GRC in the Middle East

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the foundation for economic transformation across the Middle East. From Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to the UAE’s National AI Strategy, nations in the region are investing heavily in AI to power innovation, accelerate diversification, and enhance public sector capabilities. But as AI becomes embedded in critical infrastructure and decision-making, the importance of responsible, secure, and well-governed AI cannot be overstated. That’s where Responsible AI and AI-specific Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) programs come into play.

AI investment is booming in the Middle East

The numbers speak for themselves:

• AI is expected to contribute $320 billion to the Middle East’s economy by 2030

• Saudi Arabia forecasts over $135 billion in AI-driven GDP, while the UAE anticipates AI will make up 14% of its GDP

• AI spending in the META region (Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) is growing at a 37% CAGR, projected to hit $7.2 billion by 2026

• Abu Dhabi’s MGX Fund aims to manage $100 billion in AI-focused assets

This growth places the Middle East at the forefront of global AI adoption. However, the rapid scale of implementation also introduces new risks — from model bias and explainability challenges to ethical misuse and cyber vulnerabilities. These risks, if left unmanaged, could threaten public trust, regulatory compliance, and long-term value.

Why responsible AI matters

Responsible AI is about more than just regulatory checkboxes. It’s a commitment to building AI systems that are fair, explainable, ethical, and aligned with human values. It’s about maintaining trust, protecting privacy, and ensuring accountability — especially when AI is used in high-stakes domains like healthcare, defense, or financial services.

Core pillars of responsible AI include:

• Fairness: Avoiding bias and discrimination in AI outcomes

• Transparency: Making AI decisions explainable and auditable

• Security & resilience: Ensuring AI is protected from misuse and adversarial threats

• Compliance: Meeting global and local AI governance requirements

• Accountability: Ensuring human oversight and clear ownership across the AI lifecycle

As governments and enterprises in the Middle East scale their use of AI, embedding these principles is not just prudent—it’s essential.

The need for AI cyber GRC

Traditional GRC frameworks weren’t built to handle the complexity of modern AI. AI systems evolve over time, rely on dynamic data, and often function as “black boxes,” making it difficult to assess risk, enforce controls, or demonstrate compliance.

That’s why AI cyber GRC has emerged as a critical discipline. It addresses:

• AI-specific risks like data drift, model hallucinations, and opaque decision-making

• Governance gaps in AI development and usage

• Integration with cybersecurity to mitigate threats unique to AI systems

• Regulatory readiness for emerging frameworks like the EU AI Act, ISO/IEC 42001, and others

For the Middle East, where AI is being implemented at speed and scale, AI GRC provides the foundation for sustainable and responsible AI growth.

How 6clicks supports responsible AI

At 6clicks, we’ve been at the forefront of integrating AI into GRC — so much so that Gartner recognized us for our innovative use of AI in our GRC platform. But we’re not just using AI — we’re helping organizations govern it.

Our Responsible AI solution is designed to help enterprises and government entities establish end-to-end control over their AI ecosystem.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Frameworks for AI governance

With our built-in Content Library, the 6clicks platform comes pre-loaded with global frameworks like:

• NIST AI Risk Management Framework

• OECD AI Principles

• ISO/IEC 42001

• Plus local guidance aligned with GCC regulatory contexts

These can be customized and applied across business units, regions, or subsidiaries.

2. AI-specific risk and control libraries

We provide dynamic, AI-specific risk libraries and control sets to assess and manage:

• Model bias and fairness

• Data privacy and ethical considerations

• Third-party AI usage

• Explainability and auditability

All of these feed into dashboards for visibility across the entire AI lifecycle.

3. Hailey – AI that governs AI

Hailey, our proprietary AI engine, powers control mapping, assessments, and real-time recommendations. But Hailey is more than just smart — she’s governed. Built with responsible AI principles at the core, Hailey is auditable, explainable, and secure. Other useful capabilities of Hailey include:

• Identifying AI-related risks and issues from third-party assessments
• Creating tasks for AI risk treatment plans and issue remediation
• Generating AI controls by analyzing your AI policies

4. Hub & Spoke architecture for scalable governance

Whether you’re managing AI across multiple departments, business units, or jurisdictions, our Hub & Spoke model provides a powerful way to maintain centralized oversight while allowing local autonomy. This is especially valuable for government ministries, multinational enterprises, and conglomerates operating across borders.

5. Third-party risk management

As organizations increasingly rely on external AI providers, 6clicks enables thorough third-party AI risk assessments—ensuring vendors adhere to your standards for ethics, security, and compliance.

The opportunity for the Middle East

The Middle East is on a fast track to becoming a global AI powerhouse. But with that opportunity comes responsibility — to build systems that are not only powerful but trustworthy.

Responsible AI and AI cyber GRC are not “nice to haves” — they are mission-critical. They build confidence with citizens, regulators, and stakeholders, and lay the groundwork for innovation that endures.

At 6clicks, we’re proud to be working with governments, enterprises, and regulators across the region to embed trust into every layer of AI adoption.

Ready to get started with responsible AI governance?

Explore our Responsible AI solution or get in touch with the 6clicks team to see how we can help.