Saudi Arabia Introduces Copyright Exception for Artificial Intelligence Model Training

A new copyright law in Saudi Arabia explicitly permits developers to use copyrighted materials for artificial intelligence training, according to EnterpriseAM. The move places Saudi Arabia alongside Japan, Singapore, and the European Union in establishing formal statutory carveouts for AI model developers as the Kingdom aims to become a major developer and exporter of AI technology.

Under the law, which took effect in August, developers operating in Saudi Arabia are permitted to train AI models using copyrighted works provided the material was lawfully obtained and is used strictly for model training. Developers are required to log the type, source, purpose, and date of each use, and trained models are prohibited from reproducing the original protected works.

The law's implementing regulations also introduce a framework allowing Saudi entities to translate foreign-language works into Arabic without the explicit consent of rights holders if no authorized Arabic translation has appeared within three years or another specified timeline. Legal practitioners noted this mechanism could significantly accelerate the production of diverse Arabic training datasets.

The statutory reform comes amid regional competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE to become the primary hub for Arabic-language AI tools. EnterpriseAM noted that existing UAE copyright legislation contains neither a dedicated AI training carveout nor a fair-use doctrine, meaning previous regional initiatives such as the UAE's Jais model relied on training conducted on servers in California under US copyright rules.