The DCO Ethical AI Guidebook for Policymakers is a practical implementation manual designed to help DCO Member States translate ethical AI commitments into concrete governance action. Anchored in the Riyadh AI Call to Action Declaration, the DCO Principles for Ethical AI, and DCO’s wider body of research on responsible AI governance and human rights, the Guidebook provides a structured pathway for developing AI governance frameworks that are principles-based, human rights-centric, risk-aware, and adaptable to national contexts. It is intended to support policymakers, regulators, national AI task forces, and digital economy planners in shaping AI policies, strategies, legislation, and implementation measures that promote responsible innovation while safeguarding fundamental rights.

The Guidebook brings together practical guidance on the AI governance spectrum, maturity-based policy choices, institutional arrangements, rights-based policy design, and risk assessment. It maps the DCO Principles for Ethical AI to key risk categories, outlines soft, medium, and hard policy levers, and provides sector-specific examples to demonstrate how ethical AI governance can be operationalized in areas such as healthcare, public services, and education. It also includes adaptable templates for national AI law, public procurement of AI systems, and Human Rights Impact Assessments, complementing the DCO AI Ethics Evaluator and the AI-REAL Toolkit as part of an integrated DCO Ethical AI Toolkit for Member States.