Powering Responsible AI Policy Across MENA: Highlights from the 2025 MENA Regulator Academy
Earlier this month, we wrapped up the fifth edition of the MENA Regulator Academy —our largest yet. Senior policymakers and regulators from across the Middle East and North Africa convened at our Google offices in London to explore the future of AI, digital transformation, and regulatory innovation.
This year’s Academy centered on a core belief: bold and responsible AI leadership is rooted in shared learning, open dialogue, and practical collaboration. With over 30 sessions across dedicated Cloud and Content tracks, we partnered with a diverse team of experts to deliver on this vision.
Debbie Weinstein, President of Google EMEA, kicked off the Academy with an insightful fireside chat, emphasizing the vital role of public-private partnerships in shaping digital policy. "Our responsibility is to build AI that reflects the values and aspirations of every community it serves," Debbie stated, highlighting the need to listen to policymakers on the ground. She added, "We are deeply committed to partnering with you to make the impossible possible. If we get AI adoption right, it represents a $2 trillion opportunity." Her remarks set the tone for fostering trust, transparency, and shared understanding of AI's biggest opportunities and challenges.
Cloud Track: Enabling Cloud-First Nations - Resilience, Trust and Partnership
The Cloud Track reinforced cloud’s critical role in enabling secure, scalable, and future-ready digital ecosystems across the MENA region. Sessions highlighted how secure and resilient cloud solutions can unlock national digital ambitions while meeting evolving regulatory needs.
Key themes included:
- Scaling cloud adoption through shared responsibility and compliance-by-design
- Clarifying regional approaches to data protection and residency
- Building trust via operational transparency and audit readiness
- Strengthening resilience and security of core cloud infrastructure
- Advancing cybersecurity readiness and incident response frameworks
- Managing data access and transparency in line with global standards
The takeaway: Cloud is not just about modernizing infrastructure—it is a strategic enabler of economic growth and public sector transformation; policies must evolve in order to realize its true potential.
Content Track: Trust, Integrity and Safe Digital Ecosystems
The Content Track focused on creating safer online environments and ensuring information reliability. Key themes included:
- Tackling scams, misinformation, and abuse at scale through AI-enabled detection, enforcement, and collaborative signal-sharing frameworks
- Promoting policy frameworks that incentivise responsible AI development and cross-sector collaboration
- Elevating media literacy and user protections, particularly for youth and vulnerable communities, through transparency and education
- Applying tools like the Gemini-powered AI Gold Standards to assess, stress-test, and align national AI strategies with global best practices
The takeaway: Trust in digital ecosystems must be earned and sustained through innovation, accountability, and shared responsibility.
Key Insights & Collaborations
The Cloud Track highlighted that MENA regulators see cloud as a strategic catalyst for digital transformation and economic growth. This vision requires alignment across sectors, with regulators seeking trusted partners like Google Cloud for secure-by-design, scalable infrastructure that is able to keep pace with technological innovation and adapt to rapidly changing needs.
The Content Track provided critical insights into information trust, scam mitigation, and governance of age-appropriate content. From preventing abuse at scale to transparency in algorithmic recommendations, regulators had the opportunity to explore real-world strategies for ensuring that digital ecosystems remain safe and inclusive.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), represented by Dr. Fadi Salem and Salma AlKhoudi, shared vital research on AI governance and competitiveness in MENA, calling for greater regional alignment, interoperability and ethical safeguards to unlock AI’s full potential.
The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), with Dr. Syed Iftikhar Shah, presented the AI-REAL Toolkit, a multilateral framework to benchmark and accelerate national AI readiness, turning ambition into action.
Building the Future of AI, Together
Across three packed days of open and engaged discussions, a resounding theme emerged: MENA is not just adopting AI—it is actively shaping its trajectory. Regulators are laying the groundwork for the partnerships, policies, and principles that will define what responsible AI looks like in practice.
At Google, we remain committed to being a trusted partner on this journey—offering our technology, tools, and expertise to translate ambition into action.
“We don’t build AI for the few. We build it for everyone,” I reminded our guests in closing. “And that means building it together—with you.”
To everyone who joined us in London: Thank you. Your leadership, your questions, and your vision are crucial to creating a future that is inclusive, secure, and just.
Let’s continue this momentum—through collaboration, shared learning, and bold action.
We look forward to what’s next and, hopefully, welcoming many of you again in 2026.
