Summary: In a coordinated move, digital ministries across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain have announced that starting Q3 2026, all vendors providing AI-enabled software or services to the government must be certified under ISO/IEC 42001 (Artificial Intelligence Management System).
Business Impact: This creates an immediate compliance scramble. For security consultancies in Bahrain (like yours), this is a massive business opportunity. Clients who previously focused only on ISO 27001 must now urgently integrate AI risk management controls to retain their public sector contracts.
Why It Happened: Governments are moving to standardize “Responsible AI” procurement. ISO 42001 provides the only globally recognized framework to audit AI transparency, bias, and lifecycle management.
Recommended Executive Action: Launch an “ISO 42001 Readiness Assessment” service for your clients immediately. Advise them to map their current ISO 27001 controls to the new 42001 requirements to reduce duplication of effort.
Hashtags: #ISO42001 #AIGovernance #GCC #Compliance #GovTech #Standardization