Confronting the Legal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence: A Comparative Study between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining global attention. In fact, it plays a significant role in the daily activities of people, companies, and governmental agencies. As this technology expands into different sectors (e.g., healthcare, media, financing, business) and becomes more globally available, it brings unprecedented legal issues, including but not limited to data privacy, liability, personhood. Some countries, such as the United States of America (US), have started to develop strategies to regulate and accommodate this technology into their legal frameworks, whereas others, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), still require incorporating it more into theirs. Even though these strategies vary from country to country, most, if not all, are similar to each other, especially since they focus on regulating AI-based systems within each sector rather than providing a comprehensive regulation. This paper attempts to address whether the current efforts, definitions, mandates in the KSA—compared to those found in the US—are applicable and effective to accommodate AI or if they should revisit their existing legal system as AI increases in its influence and scope. An analysis and discussion of the three aforementioned legal issues of AI- based systems in the KSA’s and US’ legal systems, their relation to one another, and practical takeaways to consider adopting or refining for the KSA’s legal system are provided. Though both countries can certainly improve their legal infrastructures, it concludes by demonstrating that the KSA may look internally and externally to better integrate AI and mitigate the related issues.