Qatar | Regulatory Framework
Status: in force
Effective: 2026-01-06
high QICDRC Practice Direction No. 1/2026: Use of AI in QFC Court and Regulatory Tribunal proceedings
Practice Direction on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (No. 1 of 2026)
I. Regulatory Summary
Requires counsel and parties appearing in the QFC Court/Regulatory Tribunal to implement strict verification and confidentiality controls when using AI, with heightened procedural and disciplinary risk for false citations or AI-assisted evidence manipulation.
II. Full Description
Issued under the QFC Court and Regulatory Tribunal procedural rules, the Practice Direction reaffirms that existing ethical, professional and legal duties apply in full when using AI. It specifically targets risks such as hallucinated citations, cross-jurisdiction errors, and misuse in witness evidence and multimedia. It states that misleading the Court or submitting fabricated/unverifiable citations is a breach of duty; prohibits using AI to generate or tamper with evidence; requires disclosure for AI-generated/enhanced multimedia evidence; and permits the Court to require explanation/affidavit identifying AI-generated portions and verification steps. It provides a sanctions pathway including adverse costs and referral to professional regulators, with contempt proceedings where appropriate.
III. Scope & Application
Binding procedural direction for ‘Court Users’ (litigants, legal representatives and practitioners) in QFC Civil and Commercial Court and QFC Regulatory Tribunal proceedings. It sets expectations for accuracy, verification of authorities, confidentiality, evidence integrity, and disclosure where multimedia AI is used.
IV. Policy Impact Assessment
Requires counsel and parties appearing in the QFC Court/Regulatory Tribunal to implement strict verification and confidentiality controls when using AI, with heightened procedural and disciplinary risk for false citations or AI-assisted evidence manipulation.
Primary Focus: procedural court ai rules