Iraq AI Regulation Overview

Overview

Iraq's approach to artificial intelligence regulation is currently in a state of foundational development and strategic planning. The national framework is centered around the Iraqi National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (INSAIN), a comprehensive initiative developed by the Iraqi Artificial Intelligence Group under the Prime Minister's Office. Formally reviewed at the first meeting of the Supreme Committee for Artificial Intelligence in August 2024 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, INSAIN aims to leverage AI to diversify Iraq's economy beyond oil reliance, integrate smart government applications across ministries, modernize education, and protect national digital infrastructure.

Alongside strategic executive planning, Iraq's digital governance is anchored by legislative and administrative enactments regulating electronic transactions and digital communications. The Electronic Signature and Transactions Law No. 78 of 2012 establishes legal recognition for digital signatures and e-contracts. Meanwhile, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) regulates online discourse via the Regulation for Organizing Digital Content in Iraq enacted in 2023, and the Council of Representatives is evaluating the Draft Informatics Crimes Law. Government officials and civil society acknowledge that Iraq currently lacks formal statutory AI laws, facing challenges related to governance frameworks and digital readiness, which has prompted efforts to draft dedicated AI legislation.

Regulatory Approach

Iraq's regulatory approach to artificial intelligence and digital technology combines executive strategic policy with prescriptive administrative controls and broad criminal proposals. Rather than implementing an overarching horizontal binding AI law, Iraq relies on soft law strategic frameworks for AI adoption while regulating digital spaces through sector-specific administrative rules. The draft INSAIN strategy adopts a multi-track implementation model focused on cross-ministerial coordination, smart application deployment, workforce capacity building, and international knowledge transfer.

In parallel, executive agencies exercise prescriptive control over digital platforms and user-generated content. Under the Regulation for Organizing Digital Content, the state enforces compliance through mandatory registration, licensing regimes for content creators, and content standards reflecting national security and societal values. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications is preparing specific AI legislation intended to establish binding legal principles for AI ethics aligned with international human dignity standards.

Key AI Legislation

• Iraqi National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (INSAIN) (Draft 2024): Iraq's primary policy framework under development by the Prime Minister's Office to guide economic transformation, educational integration, cybersecurity, ethical AI principles, and smart government services.
• Regulation for Organizing Digital Content in Iraq (2023): An administrative regulation issued by the Communications and Media Commission establishing licensing rules for digital influencers, commercial advertising requirements, and prohibitions on digital content deemed harmful to public order or social values.
• Electronic Signature and Transactions Law No. 78 of 2012: Foundational legal framework establishing the validity of electronic signatures, digital contracts, and certification authorities, enabling official e-government services and private sector e-commerce.
• Draft Informatics Crimes Law (Proposed 2023): Proposed bill before the Council of Representatives aiming to penalize cyber-terrorism, digital fraud, unauthorized system access, and online content that threatens national security or public morals.

Governance & Enforcement Bodies

Executive governance over Iraq's AI trajectory is led by the Supreme Committee for Artificial Intelligence, chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, which serves as the highest governmental authority overseeing national AI strategy. Operating beneath the Prime Minister's Office, the Iraqi Artificial Intelligence Group coordinates strategy formulation across state ministries. Educational initiatives are managed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which authorized the creation of the College of Excellence and College of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Baghdad, while the Ministry of Planning and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence work to align strategic goals with measurable national metrics.

Regulatory and legal enforcement in the digital domain is divided among several key authorities. The Communications and Media Commission (CMC) serves as the primary regulator for media, telecommunications, digital content licensing, and technical standards for electronic signatures. Enforcement of cyber laws and content oversight involves the Ministry of Interior—which operates specialized cybercrime units and the 'Balaq' public reporting platform—and the National Security Service. Legal proceedings and criminal prosecutions fall under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi High Judicial Council and specialized courts, including the Karkh Investigation Court in Baghdad.

Penalties & Enforcement

Enforcement mechanisms in Iraq's digital regulatory environment involve administrative sanctions, operational restrictions, and severe criminal penalties. Under the CMC Regulation for Organizing Digital Content, enforcement measures against non-compliant content creators or digital platforms include license revocation, administrative fines, and technical enforcement via Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which can be ordered to throttle bandwidth or block access to specific domain names within Iraqi territory. The regulation also imposes graduated licensing fees on high-reach influencers based on follower metrics.

Under the proposed Draft Informatics Crimes Law, penal sanctions are severe. Article 3 of the draft prescribes life imprisonment for using information networks to harm the state's supreme economic, political, or national security interests. Articles 21 and 22 propose strict penalties for broadcasting content that infringes upon religious, moral, or social principles. Investigative agencies are granted broad monitoring powers, with the Ministry of Interior utilizing the 'Balaq' application to crowdsource reports of violating online content for judicial referral.

Data Protection Framework

The corpus holds no record of a dedicated standalone national data protection act or comprehensive GDPR-equivalent privacy legislation in Iraq. Data governance obligations are instead dispersed across specific digital laws and administrative mandates. The Electronic Signature and Transactions Law No. 78 of 2012 establishes baseline requirements for electronic document integrity, secure record retention, and identity verification by accredited certification authorities.

In contrast, draft cybercrime proposals mandate data retention and surveillance capabilities rather than individual privacy protections. The Draft Informatics Crimes Law requires telecommunications providers and ISPs to store user traffic data and metadata for 90 days or longer upon request by state authorities. It also requires service providers to report suspicious activity and grant law enforcement access to digital systems, drawing criticism from civil society organizations regarding the lack of independent oversight and privacy safeguards.

Sector-Specific Rules

In the education sector, AI policy is driven by structural reforms led by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The ministry authorized the creation of two new specialized institutions at the University of Baghdad—the College of Excellence and the College of Artificial Intelligence—set to launch in the 2025-2026 academic year. The strategy also incorporates digital capacity-building initiatives, including a national program launched in November 2024 to train 100 digital leaders in AI and establish youth AI clubs.

In the financial and commercial sectors, electronic transactions and digital agreements are governed by Law No. 78 of 2012, which aligns digital contract formation with Article 88 of the Iraqi Civil Code. This framework was extended in September 2025 with the official launch of the national electronic signature system for state and private institutions. For other specific sectors, such as healthcare AI, autonomous vehicles, or employment AI, the supplied corpus holds no record of dedicated regulations.

International Alignment

Iraq's international alignment on AI ethics and regulation relies primarily on collaboration with international bodies. Iraq has partnered with UNESCO to conduct specialized training courses for Iraqi trainers on AI ethics, making Iraq one of the first three countries globally to receive this specialized training. The initiative focused on deploying AI tools to monitor violations against journalists and digital influencers.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Communications has stated that its pending draft AI legislation will incorporate United Nations principles on human dignity and ethical AI. However, international rights organizations continue to urge Iraqi lawmakers to ensure pending digital regulations align with international human rights standards regarding freedom of expression and procedural judicial safeguards.

Future Developments

Future developments in Iraqi AI regulation focus on legislative drafting and strategic implementation. The Ministry of Communications is actively drafting dedicated AI legislation to establish a statutory legal framework for AI compliance and ethics. Meanwhile, the Supreme Committee for AI and the Ministry of Planning are establishing measurable operational targets for the INSAIN strategy, evaluating the deployment of local physical servers and the development of a sovereign national large language model (Iraq LLM).

Key upcoming regulatory and operational deadlines include the mandatory registration deadline of March 31, 2025, for content creators under the CMC regulation, the August 20, 2025 deadline to finalize logistical preparations for the new AI colleges at the University of Baghdad ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year, and the anticipated final parliamentary vote on the Draft Informatics Crimes Law scheduled for late 2025.

Enforcement Bodies

Agency	Mandate	Key Powers	Website
Supreme Committee for Artificial Intelligence	Highest governmental body overseeing national AI strategy development and cross-ministerial execution.	Executive policy review, strategic project evaluation, cross-agency coordination.
Communications and Media Commission (CMC)	Independent regulatory authority overseeing telecommunications, media, digital content, and technical electronic signature standards.	Issuing digital influencer licenses, issuing technical compliance rules, ordering ISPs to block or throttle content, auditing certification authorities.
Ministry of Communications	Executive ministry responsible for telecommunications infrastructure, digital signature implementation, and drafting AI legislation.	Drafting AI bills, overseeing e-government digital transaction frameworks, setting telecom policy.
Ministry of Interior	State law enforcement ministry responsible for combating cybercrime and maintaining public order in digital spaces.	Investigating informatics crimes, operating specialized cybercrime units, managing the 'Balaq' digital reporting platform, seizing electronic devices.
National Security Service	State security agency tasked with protecting national security and critical state infrastructure from digital threats.	Investigating cyber-terrorism, digital espionage, and offenses against supreme national interests.
Iraqi High Judicial Council	Judicial authority responsible for court administration and prosecution of digital and media offenses.	Designating specialized courts and judges for cybercrime, evaluating electronic evidence, trying regulatory violations.