Salalah Symposium Pushes for a Regional AI Safety Hub in Oman

For three days in Salalah, artificial intelligence was treated less like a buzzword and more like critical national infrastructure that needs its own rulebook. The 5th Symposium on Critical Infrastructure Security and Safety, held September 7 to 9, 2026, ended with a recommendation that Oman establish its own Regional Centre for AI Safety, a proposal that could shape how the Sultanate governs AI in security-sensitive sectors for years to come.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• The 5th Symposium on Critical Infrastructure Security and Safety ran from September 7-9, 2026, at the Sultan Qaboos Cultural and Entertainment Centre in Salalah, according to Times of Oman.
• More than 350 participants, 35 experts and specialists, and 36 technical papers from Oman, the GCC, the wider Arab region and beyond took part, as Times of Oman reported.
• Organisers recommended establishing a Regional Centre for AI Safety in Oman to lead research, standards development and capacity building for responsible AI use in security and safety.
• Other proposals included AI-powered early-warning systems, stronger operational-technology cybersecurity, and dedicated cyber incident response teams.
• A concurrent Security & Safety Exhibition featured firms including Hikvision Oman, Oriental Security Technology SPC and Al Sharqiya Aviation, with organisers saying multiple commercial agreements were signed on the sidelines.

🏛️ What happened in Salalah

The symposium was opened under the patronage of Khalid bin Salem Al Ghamari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour for Labour Affairs, and organised by Oman's Security and Safety Foundation, as Times of Oman detailed. Now in its fifth edition, the event has grown into one of the Sultanate's more substantive gatherings on protecting the systems that keep Oman running, from oil and gas facilities to ports, airports and power networks.

This year's programme leaned heavily on technology. According to Times of Oman, the 36 technical papers covered artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, smart surveillance, biometric identification, emergency and risk management, business continuity, smart fire protection, and the security of oil and gas, energy, ports and airport operations.

🤖 Why AI dominated the agenda

Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity emerged as the two dominant themes of the gathering, with delegates examining how AI can transform infrastructure protection through smart surveillance, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, automated response and early identification of potential threats, Times of Oman noted. Discussions also pushed for stronger cybersecurity around operational technology and industrial control systems, the kind of legacy equipment running pipelines, power grids and airport systems that is often harder to patch and secure than standard office networks.

That focus tracks with a broader pattern this year of Oman's regulators and institutions moving from AI enthusiasm toward AI governance, a shift also visible in the Sultanate's growing catalogue of digital rulebooks covering data protection and telecom oversight.

🛡️ The push for a Regional AI Safety Centre

The symposium's headline recommendation was the establishment of a Regional Centre for AI Safety in Oman, intended to serve as a specialised platform for research, standards development, capacity building and the responsible application of artificial intelligence in security and safety contexts, according to Times of Oman. Alongside it, participants proposed AI-powered early-warning systems and the creation of dedicated cyber incident response teams for critical sectors.

No timeline, budget or lead ministry has been announced for the proposed centre, and it remains a recommendation from the symposium rather than a confirmed government commitment. Still, the idea lands at a moment when Oman is actively building out AI-specific institutions and rules, making it a plausible next step rather than a speculative wish list item.

🤝 Exhibitors, agreements and Dhofar's pitch

Running alongside the symposium, the 1st Security & Safety Exhibition showcased protection technologies, surveillance systems, firefighting solutions and smart security tools from companies including Hikvision Oman, Oriental Security Technology SPC, Al Sharqiya Aviation and DER A LLC, alongside government participants such as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Dhofar branch, as Times of Oman reported in its closing coverage.

Closing the event, Dhofar Governor Sayyid Marwan bin Turki Al Said framed it as part of a wider bid to position the governorate as a specialised events and technology-transfer destination. Organisers said participants signed multiple commercial agreements and partnerships on the sidelines, though specific values were not disclosed.

👩‍💻 The talent question behind the technology

Every AI-powered surveillance system, anomaly detector or incident response team discussed in Salalah needs people who can build, deploy and audit it. That talent gap is not unique to critical infrastructure. Employers across Oman's tech sector are already competing for AI, cybersecurity and data specialists, a shortage reflected in our recent roundup of AI and tech jobs hiring in Oman right now. If a Regional Centre for AI Safety does move forward, its research and standards mandate would likely also mean new training pipelines for engineers who specialise in securing AI systems rather than just building them.

🇴🇲 Why this matters for Oman

Oman has spent much of 2026 writing AI into national rulebooks, from data protection amendments to sector-specific standards. The Salalah symposium's recommendation adds a new, security-focused strand to that effort: a proposed regional body dedicated specifically to AI safety in critical infrastructure. For a country pushing ahead with smart ports, automated grids and AI-enabled government services under Vision 2040, having a dedicated body to set standards for how AI is deployed safely around oil, gas, power and transport systems would be a meaningful piece of institutional infrastructure, not just a symbolic gesture. Whether the government picks up the recommendation, and how quickly, is now the question worth watching.