The Shura Council has released the forty-third issue of Ash-Shura Magazine, focusing on artificial intelligence and its role in enhancing the quality of legislative work across various fields. The issue includes a range of features, interviews and articles shedding light on the rapid transformations taking place worldwide in the field of artificial intelligence and their implications for various sectors, alongside a review of the Council's roles and efforts in keeping pace with these transformations and employing modern technologies in legislative and parliamentary work.
The issue features a special interview with His Excellency Dr Ali Al Shaidani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, addressing the National Digital Economy Programme and its significance as a national drive to strengthen the digital economy, expand the use of modern technologies and innovation, and support economic development pathways in building a knowledge- and technology-based economy.
The magazine also devoted a feature to "Artificial Intelligence and Omani Identity: When Culture Becomes a Digital Soft Power," addressing the Omani-content-based language model (Maeen) and what it represents in terms of employing modern technologies in the service of language, culture and national identity. The feature brought together a number of specialists and academics in Arabic language, alongside experts and officials overseeing technical programmes and projects, to examine the dimensions, opportunities and challenges of this drive.
As part of the issue's special file, the magazine addressed a number of topics related to artificial intelligence and its governance, and its role in economic development as one of the key areas expected to shape the coming phase, alongside an examination of the impact of AI technologies on shaping public opinion, and the regulatory, legislative and ethical requirements these transformations entail.
The magazine also covered the topic "Artificial Intelligence and Development: A Roadmap Towards a Knowledge Economy and Sustainable Education," reviewing the importance of employing smart technologies in developing development and education systems, and strengthening the capacity to build an economy more reliant on knowledge and innovation, in keeping with future requirements.




On the parliamentary front, the issue highlighted the Shura Council's roles in employing artificial intelligence technologies in legislative work, alongside a review of the prospects for adapting these technologies to parliamentary work, and the support tools they can provide in research, analysis, data processing and decision-support, thereby enhancing institutional performance efficiency and the pace of decision-making in line with the demands and circumstances of the current phase.
The issue also addressed the topic "Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments: Towards Digital Governance that Strengthens Democracy and Transparency," examining the transformations smart technologies could bring to the performance of parliamentary institutions, and the importance of establishing governance frameworks that ensure the responsible and secure use of these technologies, while upholding the principles of transparency, accountability and public trust.
The magazine also includes a summary of the book The Future of Management in a World of Artificial Intelligence, alongside a range of other topics and articles. The issue's special file further covers the Council's key activities, including highlights of the second annual Media Meeting organised by the Council, and the topics and discussions it featured on legislative and media affairs.
This issue of Ash-Shura Magazine comes as part of the Council's interest in documenting its work, highlighting its roles and competencies, strengthening communication with society, and providing a knowledge and media space addressing national and parliamentary issues related to development pathways. Through its coverage of recurring topics, the magazine also seeks to enrich public discourse and raise awareness of the trends and issues of institutional and societal interest, while offering content that combines parliamentary coverage with specialised analysis and knowledge.
Artificial intelligence was chosen as the central theme of this issue in light of the rapid transformations these technologies have brought to various aspects of life, and the questions they raise concerning legislation, regulation, governance, the economy, education, culture and media, as well as the growing need to build integrated national frameworks that ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence are harnessed, alongside a conscious approach to its challenges and future implications. On this basis, the issue seeks to contribute to enriching the dialogue on the future of artificial intelligence and supporting awareness of the importance of national integration in shaping the directions and roles associated with it.
It is worth noting that the forty-third issue of Ash-Shura Magazine is available electronically via the Shura Council's website and the Council's social media accounts, allowing those following the Council's work and achievements to easily access the magazine's diverse content.