Press Releases
22 Feb 2023
RTA holds first legal forum for AI legislation in transport
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has recently organised the first legal forum to discuss rules and legislation related to artificial intelligence in the transport business. The move aims to chart out the structures required to enact laws given the tremendous and rapid technological advancements taking place in the UAE and the world over. The ultimate objective is to make these legislations an integral part of transport plans and strategies in Dubai, which has a prominent standing among the most developed cities in the world.
UAE Leadership
Shehab Bu Shehab, Executive Director, Legal Affairs, RTA’s Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector, said, “The UAE's interest in artificial intelligence – AI and the 4th industrial revolution revolving around innovation began early. The country has thus a pioneering role in adopting such strategies and pushing other countries of the region to follow suit.
“The UAE was one of the first countries that launched an independent AI strategy in October 2017. The initiative ushers in a new era beyond the smart government strategy and will form the basis of service, sectors, and future infrastructure in the UAE, in line with the UAE Centennial 2071 aimed to make the UAE the best in the world in all fields,” added Bu Shehab.
The inaugural forum aims to anticipate the future of the legislative processes relating to AI and confront legal challenges associated with this emerging reality. It warrants finding out solutions and legal controls under the directives of leaders, which made the first steps in this direction. It requires us to put in place sound frameworks within the process of upgrading the legislative system by a draft amendment to the law of establishing the RTA.
The forum sought to develop a proactive and flexible legislative system that simulates reality and anticipates the future by developing legislation that supports operational artificial intelligence along with its flexible legislative framework.
5 Strategic Pillars
The first legal forum extensively addressed five primary topics, including the integration of artificial intelligence within RTA's legislation and assessed its influence on the transportation industry, including autonomous vehicles and the liability of artificial intelligence systems. The forum also explored the concept of a robot's legal personality, along with the regulations that govern its independent actions and the resulting legal consequences, such as financial liability.
The forum also discussed the legal consequences of utilising artificial intelligence technology, specifically the legal obstacles that arise from the implementation of artificial intelligence in smart contracts and the regulations that dictate their usage. In addition to the legal responsibility that arises from causing harm to artificial intelligence systems, as well as offences that are linked to breaching their information systems through hacking and causing harm to their data.
Valuable Deliverables
Participants discussed the legal and technical aspects of artificial intelligence applications and made valuable proposals that included introducing AI technology in transactions to improve the services. A proposal was made for local AI legislation that regulates smart contracts & transportation and defines the civil and criminal liability of manufacturers, operators, users, programmers, and data entry for automated vehicles. It also covers the introduction of smart contracts, blockchain, and cryptocurrency platforms in RTA’s transactions, and modifying contract templates to match the smart contract systems.