ICAIRE Ethical AI Series
From Awareness to Responsible Application
A Community AI Readiness Framework Linking Assessment to Needs-Based Capacity Building
Dr. Reem K. Alshammari
KACST / C4IR Saudi Arabia
Abdullah G. Alanazi
KAUST
Published October 2026
This paper sets out the proposed framework and its intended operationalisation ahead of implementation.
Abstract
This paper proposes an AI readiness framework that assesses residents of governorates and local communities and links the results directly to needs-based learning, training and access interventions. Individuals are assessed across three progressive stages: Awareness & Exposure, Understand, and Apply, with responsible AI treated as a cross-cutting layer present at every stage rather than a terminal level, and with contextual enablers and barriers reported separately from the readiness stages.
About the authors
Dr. Reem K. Alshammari
Researcher at KACST, working with Saudi Arabia’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution on artificial intelligence and data.
Abdullah G. Alanazi
Researcher at KAUST, working on AI readiness and capacity building.
Cite this research
Alshammari, R. K., & Alanazi, A. G. (2026). From awareness to responsible application: A community AI readiness framework linking assessment to needs-based capacity building (ICAIRE Framework Paper). International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics. https://doi.org/10.68480/FPKD6392
BibTeX
@techreport{alshammari2026awareness, title = {From Awareness to Responsible Application: A Community AI Readiness Framework Linking Assessment to Needs-Based Capacity Building}, author = {Alshammari, Reem K. and Alanazi, Abdullah G.}, institution = {International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics}, type = {ICAIRE Framework Paper}, number = {ICAIRE-EAI-2026-001}, year = {2026}, month = oct, doi = {10.68480/FPKD6392}, url = {https://doi.org/10.68480/FPKD6392}}