Artificial Intelligence, real obstacles: Lebanon’s struggle to regulate tech

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life around the world, Lebanon is making a modest attempt to join the conversation. The country recently appointed a state minister for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence—though without a clear mandate or defined responsibilities.

In June 2025, MPs César Abi Khalil and Nicolas Sehnaoui introduced a draft law to establish a “National Authority for Artificial Intelligence,” a body meant to oversee the use of AI in Lebanon. 

The authority would be tasked with monitoring companies, setting policies, protecting data privacy, and establishing standards for what is or isn’t acceptable use of AI.

But the question isn’t why Lebanon is acting now. It’s how long it will take for anything to move forward.

In Lebanon’s legislative system, laws can spend months—if not years—circulating between committees. 

Once introduced, a draft bill must be referred by the parliament speaker to a relevant committee. It may then be handed to a subcommittee for review, where it undergoes revisions, discussions, and recommendations. 

Meetings get postponed due to lack of quorum. Some MPs don’t show up. Other issues take precedence. Eventually, the proposal may be shelved entirely.
It’s a familiar story. Lebanon has yet to find a lasting solution to its waste crisis after more than a decade. An e-signature law took years to pass and has barely been implemented.

So how long will it take to regulate a technology advancing by the day?

In reality, Lebanese lawmakers can act quickly when there’s enough pressure. The amendment to the banking secrecy law, for example, was passed in less than a week under demands from the International Monetary Fund.