Pact Signed to Advance Legal AI in Oman: What This Means for Business Innovation and Efficiency
MUSCAT: The development of specialised legal artificial intelligence (AI) tailored to regional legal systems is set to advance in Oman through a new partnership between Oman National Engineering and Investment Company (ONEIC) and HAQQ Inc. This collaboration was announced at the Oman Legal Tech Summit 2026.
The agreement was signed by Dr Rashid bin Mohammed bin Jumaa al Ghailani, CEO of ONEIC; Antoine Kanaan, CEO of HAQQ Inc; and Abbas Kabalan, Chief Legal Officer and Co-Founder of HAQQ Inc. It represents a significant step towards creating legal technology solutions aligned with the local legal environment for institutions within Oman and the broader region.
The announcement coincided with a keynote presentation by Abbas Kabalan titled “AI in Law: From Disruption to Regulation Attention.” Kabalan emphasized the increasing need for legal AI platforms designed specifically around regional legal frameworks rather than depending solely on general-purpose global systems.
He cautioned against the dominance of “general AI” models, which are often trained predominantly on Western legal data sets and may not accurately account for the legal, cultural, and procedural nuances unique to Arab jurisdictions. Kabalan warned that this disconnect risks generating standardized outputs that fail to reflect local legal realities.
“We are witnessing a transition from AI experimentation to practical application, but the legal profession cannot rely on systems that disregard local legal ontology and institutional context,” Kabalan stated. “Legal AI must support and enhance professional judgment rather than replace it.”
He further explained that AI should serve as an enabling tool to expedite research, organise legal knowledge, and analyse evidence, while preserving decision-making authority with legal professionals. “AI must remain an engine that empowers the legal mind, not a mechanism that eliminates the distinction between expertise and inexperience,” he added.
Officials said the ONEIC–HAQQ collaboration will focus on deploying specialised legal AI solutions to assist with regulatory compliance, contract analysis, document management, and institutional knowledge systems across both public and private sectors. The initiative also aims to bolster regional legal-technology capabilities that align with national legal frameworks and linguistic needs.
This partnership reflects the growing interest in legal-technology investments across the Gulf region, as governments and enterprises strive to modernize regulatory processes, enhance operational efficiency, and develop sovereign digital capabilities tailored to their national legal systems.
Special Analysis by Omanet | Navigate Oman’s Market
The ONEIC-HAQQ partnership to develop regionally tailored legal AI presents a strategic opportunity for businesses in Oman to enhance regulatory compliance and operational efficiency through technology that respects local legal nuances. However, smart investors and entrepreneurs should recognize the risk of general AI systems misaligned with Oman’s legal context and prioritize innovations that empower professional judgment while advancing digital sovereignty. This alignment signals a forward-looking push in Oman to modernize the legal sector, offering a competitive edge for early adopters of specialized legal-tech solutions.
