Abu Dhabi to roll out world’s first AI judicial platform

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department is preparing to roll out an AI judicial platform across its courts, with the first phase expected in September, according to a press release. Developed with the Department of Government Enablement, the platform will support judicial decision-making across the case workflow — with human supervision and validation kept in the loop.

The goal: Faster case handling, fewer procedural bottlenecks, and more consistent judicial work. The rollout is expected to take place in phases over 18 months.

There’s some irony here: Abu Dhabi is moving AI deeper into the courts less than a year after ADGM issued the UAE’s first ruling squarely addressing AI misuse in court filings, ordering AED 282.5k in wasted costs over fabricated citations. At the time, experts told us the ruling could become a key reference for courts and regulators across the UAE as well as the wider region on AI use. The test now is whether Abu Dhabi’s validation layer can keep AI useful without importing the hallucination risks courts are already policing.

Disruption

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) resumed operations at El Feel oil field after production was halted due to protests. Earlier this week, protesters stormed into the Eni co-owned Mellitah complex west of Tripoli, forcing a shutdown at the El Feel field and cutting gas that feeds the coastal pipeline and knocking power units offline for a few hours. The protests come as public discontent rise in the country over collapsing public services.

The protest against the Tripoli government comes at a time where Washington is pushing for a power-sharing arrangement between the Debibahs (who rule in the west) and Haftars (who control the east). The US push aims to force the rival elites to work together and to stabilize the country just enough to de-risk it for big US oil companies wanting to invest there, but it also runs the risk of not addressing public grievances over collapsing grid, fuel shortages, and liquidity problems.

Up and running

Dana Gas is gradually restarting production at northern Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, less than two weeks after shutting down facilities over “credible security threats.” The Abu Dhabi-listed energy firm confirmed in a disclosure (pdf) that output will be carefully ramped up following high-level security assurances from both the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi federal authorities.

Setting up shop

Blackstone is planning to set up an office in Kuwait through the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, the firm said in a statement. The office is scheduled to open in 3Q 2026, with Blackstone saying it “intends to further expand its regional presence with additional offices to be announced across the GCC over the coming year.”

Borrowed circuit

Malaysia will host the Bahrain Grand Prix from 2-4 October, Formula 1 said in a statement, as Bahrain looks unlikely to be able to host the tournament that was originally scheduled for April. F1 scrubbed the Bahrain Grand Prix — along with competitions in Qatar and Saudi Arabia — a little over two weeks after the war broke out. The Malaysia-hosted race will remain named the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, but is being moved under an agreement between F1, the FIA, and the Bahraini and Malaysian governments.