SAS AI Navigator Launches in UAE to Strengthen AI Governance and Trust
SAS has announced the UAE availability of SAS AI Navigator, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution designed to help organisations strengthen AI governance and manage the growing complexity of enterprise AI adoption.
Available through Microsoft Marketplace, SAS AI Navigator enables AI, data, compliance and risk leaders to build a comprehensive inventory of their AI assets and align use cases with government regulations and internal policies. The platform provides a unified view of the models and tools already in use across an organisation, including large language models (LLMs), AI agents, open-source models and SAS models, without requiring changes to existing AI development processes.
Organisations can access SAS AI Navigator free of charge for six months. “Trustworthy AI doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intention, transparency and the right governance structures from the start,” said Reggie Townsend, Vice President, SAS AI Ethics, Governance and Social Impact. “With SAS AI Navigator, organizations can create the visibility and accountability needed to use AI confidently, responsibly and at scale.”
More information is available through the SAS AI Navigator getting-started guide. As the UAE advances its national AI ambitions under initiatives such as the UAE National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, organisations face increasing pressure to ensure that AI adoption is supported by transparency, accountability and effective governance.
The 2026 Data and AI Impact Report: The New Economics of Trust, published by SAS with research insights from IDC, highlights the business value of trustworthy AI. According to the report, organisations that establish trust effectively are 15 times more likely to achieve strong returns on AI investments. It also identifies a growing challenge as AI systems become more autonomous: employees are more likely to override AI recommendations when they cannot understand or explain how decisions are reached.
Findings from the UAE further underline the importance of governance. Some 62.2% of organisations identified data quality and governance as key factors in AI reliability, while 41.1% of respondents cited insufficient explanation as the leading reason for overriding AI recommendations.
“As AI adoption accelerates across the UAE, organizations need to ensure that innovation is matched by strong governance and accountability. SAS AI Navigator gives leaders greater visibility and control over their AI initiatives, helping them manage risk, build trust and scale AI with confidence,” said Michel Ghorayeb, Managing Director, SAS UAE.
SAS AI Navigator supports AI governance throughout the lifecycle, from experimentation and deployment to retirement. It provides a consolidated view of governed assets, covering both internally developed solutions and products acquired from third parties. The platform also enables organisations to apply internal policies and external regulations and frameworks to their AI use cases, helping governance teams assess compliance and manage risks more consistently.
Policy packs developed by SAS partners, including Protiviti and Asenion, provide ready-made collections of compliance guidelines. These packs are intended to help organisations adopt emerging AI technologies responsibly without having to develop complex governance policies from scratch. They include pre-defined questions and risk classifications that can be applied to individual use cases.
The need for effective AI governance is particularly pronounced in highly regulated sectors such as healthcare. Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in the Netherlands was among the early testers of SAS AI Navigator, exploring its potential to support AI governance and policy oversight in healthcare environments.
The availability of SAS AI Navigator on Microsoft Marketplace builds on SAS’ longstanding strategic partnership with Microsoft. The solution enables organisations to govern AI use cases across different technology environments, including Microsoft Azure, while maintaining consistent oversight, transparency and accountability.
As a standalone SaaS offering, SAS AI Navigator is available to both new and existing SAS customers. It also complements the company’s broader portfolio of AI governance solutions, designed to support organisations at different stages of their AI maturity.
Drawing on 50 years of experience helping customers adopt and deploy transformational technologies responsibly, SAS aims to give organisations the governance capabilities and visibility needed to manage AI risks, strengthen trust and scale their AI initiatives with greater confidence.
