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The Bahrain Parliamentary Division delegation signed a funding agreement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union to support work on artificial intelligence legislation and oversight according to a Gulf Daily News report published October 5 2026. The pact focuses on enabling access to technical expertise for parliaments and developing research services aligned with AI advances. It draws on experiences shared in multiple IPU seminars where Bahrain has participated throughout 2025 and 2026. The agreement also aims to reinforce international cooperation on balancing innovation with governance needs.
An IPU assessment published in November 2025 introduced a Maturity Framework for AI in Parliaments that guides self-evaluation across six levels from initial awareness to leadership. The framework examines governance technical capabilities organisational impacts and effects on democratic processes and citizen engagement. Bahrain has engaged with this IPU tool through its delegations to incorporate global practices into national efforts the Council of Representatives stated in related updates.
Bahrain obtained an Artificial Intelligence Management System certificate for its Council of Representatives making it one of the first parliaments to adopt the standard the council’s website reported. This step formed part of an institutional approach that includes internal policies risk management and ethical compliance frameworks. The Council of Representatives developed a governance structure covering oversight evaluation data protection and privacy in line with international best practices.
MP Hassan Ibrahim Hassan detailed Bahrain’s AI legislative plans during an IPU workshop in Geneva in October 2025 according to a Council of Representatives summary. He referenced existing statutes on data protection electronic transactions and cybercrime alongside a pending comprehensive regulation law. The Shura Council approved a 38-article AI bill in April 2024 but the proposal stays under review in the Council of Representatives Levellers.ai data from June 2026 showed.
The Shura Council ranked first in the Arab region and 13th worldwide in the IPU’s Parliamentary Digital Maturity Index for 2024 the council’s secretary general noted in public remarks. AI tools there have shortened response times to legislative queries and enhanced tracking of draft laws. A Parliamentary Division delegation joined a September 2026 IPU virtual seminar on AI in children’s education that stressed parliamentary roles in rights protection and infrastructure investment the council added.
Delegations from Bahrain have repeatedly called for ethical legal AI frameworks centred on human rights during IPU meetings on democracy the Council of Representatives reported after an April 2026 session in Istanbul. Risks such as bias privacy breaches and misinformation require flexible oversight the representatives stated. The new funding agreement extends these engagements by providing dedicated resources for legislative development.
