KHDA AI Policy: Dubai to Set Clear Rules on AI and Mobile Phones for Students

Dubai's education regulator is drafting a KHDA AI policy to tell parents and teachers when AI, phones and tablets help students learn, and when they do not.

Dubai: Parents and teachers confused about when children should use artificial intelligence (AI), mobile phones and other digital tools in class can expect clearer direction soon. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is preparing a KHDA AI policy and a set of standards covering every school and educational institution in Dubai, its Director General said on Thursday.

Aisha Miran made the announcement at a Media Majlis in Dubai. Responding to a question from Gulf News, she said the authority is working on a clear policy on technology and AI that balances student safeguarding with innovation. "We expect, hopefully, by next year, to have our policy and standards ready," she said.

The guidelines will cover responsible use of digital tools and devices by students and will apply across Dubai schools.

What the KHDA AI Policy Will Cover

The policy will look at:

• When AI and devices such as iPads and mobile phones should be introduced
• When they should not be used
• When they genuinely enrich learning
• The safeguards and guardrails needed to protect students while embracing technology

In effect, it is a single framework for AI in schools and for mobile phones in schools, rather than separate rules for each.

Technology as "A Means Towards an End"

KHDA is currently developing the guiding principles of the policy. Miran said the thinking is simple: AI and technology must serve students and enrich their learning, not be used for the sake of the technology itself.

"It's a means towards an end," she said, and that end is the learner's experience. The aim, she said, is a wise and adequate use of AI and technology. That principle will anchor the KHDA AI policy as it takes shape.

Balancing Student Safeguarding and Innovation

The authority wants schools to embrace new tools without exposing children to harm. The policy will therefore set out safeguards and guardrails alongside guidance on when technology adds value. For Dubai schools, that means rules on AI in schools will come with protections, not only permissions. Putting student safeguarding on the same footing as innovation is the stated aim.

When Will the KHDA AI Policy Be Ready?

KHDA hopes to have its policy and standards ready by next year, which would mean 2027. Miran's remarks, as reported, did not mention age limits, outright bans or enforcement, so those details remain unknown. Until the KHDA AI policy is published, parents should keep following their own school's current guidance on devices and AI.

What It Means for Parents and Teachers

For teachers, clear standards on AI in schools should reduce guesswork about what is allowed in class. For parents, the KHDA AI policy should settle when mobile phones in schools are appropriate and when they are not. Because it covers all Dubai schools and educational institutions, families will get one reference point instead of a patchwork of school-by-school rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the KHDA AI policy?

It is a policy and set of standards KHDA is developing for the responsible use of AI, mobile phones and other digital tools by students in Dubai.

When will it be ready?

KHDA hopes to have it ready by next year.

Will it ban mobile phones in schools?

That has not been stated. The policy will look at when phones should and should not be introduced, and when they enrich learning.

Which schools does it cover?

Every school and educational institution in Dubai.

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