Bahrain

The Council of Representatives of Bahrain has achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, becoming one of the first legislative bodies to earn formal recognition for its AI management systems – a landmark in responsible parliamentary governance aligned with democratic values.

Dr Andy Williamson (Senior researcher at CIP, the IPU’s Centre for Innovation in Parliament) notes that there is nothing new about AI. But we have certainly embarked on a new level of AI integration. Technology can now engage with us directly, generate new content and predict outcomes. This could transform a wide variety of settings, including parliaments.

In Innovation Tracker #7 (December 2020), we explored the how the Shura Council of Bahrain had responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we revisit the Council to look at the lessons learned and new focus areas, including AI.