Egypt: National Council for Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Emerging Technologies released Guide to Egypt's National AI Governance Framework

On 14 March 2026, the National Council for Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Emerging Technologies (NCAI) released the Guide to Egypt’s National AI Governance Framework, prepared by the Egyptian Center for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (ECRAI), which serves as the implementation and technical body of the NCAI. The guide serves as the central strategic document of the framework and defines its scope by introducing risk tiers, a “Dual-Check” compliance logic, and an institutional structure organised across five layers. These include the legislative heritage, the strategic evolution of the framework, the governance philosophy built around the “State as Orchestrator” and “Strategic Hybrid” model, the scope and applicability, and the future regulatory architecture. The guide establishes five core ethical principles that function as governance mandates for all AI actors, namely human-centeredness, fairness, accountability, security and safety, and transparency and explainability. These principles are grounded in the Egyptian Charter for Responsible AI adopted in 2023, and are aligned with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and the OECD AI Principles. It also introduces a risk-based regulatory approach that classifies AI systems into four categories, ranging from prohibited systems presenting unacceptable risk to high-risk systems subject to mandatory “Dual-Check” compliance, as well as limited risk systems subject to transparency requirements and minimal or no risk systems that remain unregulated or voluntary. General-purpose AI models receive specific treatment, with those presenting systemic risk classified as high-risk systems and standard models falling under the limited risk category.