AI in Oman: Local Innovations Making Global Waves

Once considered a consumer of global tech, Oman in 2025 is building its own AI playbook — and exporting it. From healthcare and logistics to retail and public services, local AI innovations are solving real-world problems with regional context and global relevance.

🇴🇲 From Muscat to the World: The Rise of Omani AI Products

VoxReception, a Muscat-based voice assistant platform, trained entirely on Gulf Arabic, is now powering customer service desks across Oman, Bahrain, and the UAE. Its key innovation? Natively understanding Omani dialects — something global tools like Alexa or Siri still struggle with.

With over 200,000 calls handled in the first half of 2025, it’s now being trialed in Oman’s Ministry of Health for appointment scheduling across government hospitals.

“Localization isn’t just translation — it’s cultural empathy. Omani startups are solving for nuance, and that’s why they’re gaining traction globally.” — Shaima Al Lawati, CEO, Oman Technology Fund

🧠 Predictive AI in Harsh Terrains

DesertTech AI, a Sohar-based startup, is pioneering AI systems that optimize logistics and energy consumption in desert conditions. Their real-time predictive models, trained using satellite feeds and sensor data from Oman’s western oil fields, have helped oil logistics companies cut fuel costs by 19%.

In partnership with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), DesertTech’s models are now being trialed for real-time failure prediction of oilfield equipment.

🏥 Healthcare AI with an Omani Pulse

In 2025, Oman's Ministry of Health launched a national initiative to use AI for early diagnosis of chronic illnesses. The pilot program, launched in Barka and Ibri, uses an AI tool trained on anonymized patient records to flag high-risk cases of diabetes and heart disease — two of Oman’s top health challenges.

Initial results? A 16% improvement in early detection and a 22% reduction in unnecessary lab tests.

“AI is not replacing doctors — it’s amplifying them. In Oman, it's giving rural patients access to predictive care for the first time.” — Dr. Fatma Al Hinai, Advisor, Ministry of Health

🎓 Training AI Talent, Locally

The University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) now offers Oman’s first undergraduate degree fully focused on AI and Machine Learning. As of June 2025, over 500 students are enrolled, and partnerships with Microsoft Oman and others are enabling students to work on live AI projects before graduation.

Meanwhile, Oman’s first AI Innovation Lab in Duqm just opened — part of a larger national strategy to build homegrown AI IP and retain talent within the region.

🌍 What’s Next: AI Exports from Oman?

With AI becoming Oman’s next big export after LNG, the country is setting up regional licensing frameworks, sovereign data laws, and incubator hubs to turn research into revenue. The upcoming GCC AI Alliance, set to be chaired by Oman in late 2025, signals a new role for the Sultanate — that of a tech exporter, not just adopter.

In the words of Vision 2040: “We will build a knowledge-based economy, led by innovation, empowered by youth, and driven by technology.” Oman’s AI ecosystem is no longer a promise. It’s a product — and the world is watching.