Minthar Holdings believes that artificial intelligence represents a transformative force capable of accelerating economic and social development across Saudi Arabia and the Arab region. As the first Saudi AI startup to win First Place in Data Analysis (Mediathon 2022), we bear a heightened responsibility to set standards and shape responsible practices for AI development and deployment. This Charter establishes the foundational principles that guide all our AI-related activities across our subsidiaries and investment ecosystem.
This Charter applies to all AI systems, models, tools, and applications developed, deployed, operated, or funded by Minthar Holdings and its subsidiaries — including MN Tech, Mozn, Bayyan, Naqdi, Shifra, Oun, and Sima. It extends to third-party AI systems integrated into our operations or services.
AI must serve and augment human capabilities, not replace or diminish human dignity. We commit to keeping decisions with material impact on individuals' lives — such as employment, credit, and assessment decisions — subject to direct human oversight. No AI system may make final decisions affecting individuals' rights or freedoms without human review and approval.
We commit to designing and operating AI systems that do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, nationality, religion, disability, or any characteristic protected under Saudi regulations and international human rights standards. We conduct periodic bias audits on all deployed models, document findings in audit logs, and take corrective action upon detecting any bias.
We pledge to disclose the use of AI in our services and products when it affects user experience or decision-making. We strive to develop and deploy interpretable models wherever feasible, and provide clear mechanisms for individuals affected by AI decisions to obtain explanations of how those decisions were made.
We assume full responsibility for the outputs of AI systems we develop or deploy. Lines of responsibility are clearly defined for each system: from technical owner to executive sponsor. The use of AI does not absolve any employee or subsidiary from responsibility for final decisions. Every AI system has a named owner accountable for its performance and ethical behavior.
No AI system is deployed to production without passing rigorous testing protocols including: performance testing, security testing, bias testing, and stress testing. We maintain emergency kill-switch mechanisms for all critical systems and continuously monitor post-deployment performance. Annual safety reviews are conducted for all active AI systems.
We embed personal data protection into every stage of the AI lifecycle — from training data collection to model deployment and decommissioning. We comply with the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) issued by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and relevant regulatory frameworks. We apply data minimization principles in training and employ anonymization and pseudonymization techniques wherever possible.
We direct our AI capabilities toward achieving sustainable development goals and Saudi Vision 2030 targets. We prioritize projects that contribute to economic diversification, youth empowerment, and knowledge transfer. We reject any use of AI that conflicts with the public interest or causes harm to the environment or society.
This Charter aligns with: the AI Ethics Principles issued by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA); the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL); National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) controls; OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence; the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF); and the guiding principles of ISO/IEC 42001.
Minthar Holdings commits to establishing a board-supervised AI Ethics Committee, conducting annual ethical audits of all AI systems, publishing an annual transparency report on our AI practices, providing mandatory training for all employees working with AI systems, and creating an independent channel for reporting ethical concerns.
This Charter is reviewed annually or upon material changes to the regulatory or technological landscape. The AI Ethics Committee is responsible for review and recommending updates, which are approved by the Board of Directors. Each update is published with a changelog on this page.