This article is part of Practical Law Middle East’s maintained portfolio of data privacy, AI, employment and technology resources for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and key free zones such as ADGM and DIFC. Drawing on a recent Thomson Reuters MENA webinar, it gives legal teams a concise, practitioner focused overview of how smart city and smart workplace initiatives sit against existing data protection and employment frameworks, with specific reference to Saudi Arabia’s PDPL, UAE federal legislation, free zone regimes and non statutory guidance such as Dubai’s AI Ethics and Principles, the AI toolkit and the Digital Dubai Data Sharing Toolkit. It highlights common AI use cases in the workplace, the associated legal and compliance risks, and practical steps to build risk assessments, governance and ethical considerations into projects from the outset. As with other Practical Law content in the region, the article is written and maintained by specialist editors with Middle East expertise, so subscribers can rely on regularly updated, jurisdiction specific analysis.
What the article covers
- Smart city projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) in practice
- UAE data protection regimes and free zones
- AI in the workplace and employment law risk
- Risk identification and mitigation for smart projects
- Data governance and ethics in AI deployments
- Consent and employee trust in smart workplaces
Why it matters for legal teams in MENA
Smart city and smart workplace projects in the Middle East are moving quickly, often ahead of detailed, AI specific regulation. Legal teams still need to map these projects against existing data protection, employment and sectoral laws, and to put in place policies, assessments and governance that will stand up to regulatory scrutiny. This article gives lawyers and legal professionals:
- A grounded overview of the current legal landscape in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Concrete examples of how PDPL, UAE regimes, ADGM and DIFC rules interact with smart technologies
- Practical pointers for building privacy, data governance and ethics into smart city and workplace initiatives now, rather than waiting for new legislation
Complete the form to access the full Practical Law article, “Smart Cities and Smart Workplaces: Navigating Data Privacy and AI in the Middle East,” including detailed analysis, legal references and further resources for MENA legal teams.
