The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into health, education, and social systems, offering new opportunities to enhance the quality of life (QoL) for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Saudi Arabia has yet to fully realize the potential of these technologies in addressing the specific needs of people with ID. This study aims to systematically review and synthesize existing literature on the use of AI to improve QoL outcomes for individuals with ID in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This study followed PRISMA guidelines and included studies published since January 2020. Comprehensive searches were conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar and Research Square. Eligible studies were required to explicitly include participants with diagnosed intellectual disabilities, focus on AI-based interventions, and report measurable QoL outcomes. A total of 45 studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted on participant characteristics, AI intervention types and their impact on physical, emotional, cognitive, and social domains. Meta-analytic techniques were applied using standardized effect sizes to assess overall impact.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that AI technologies have a moderate to strong positive effect on multiple QoL domains for individuals with ID, particularly in educational and therapeutic settings. Interventions involving personalized learning systems, emotion recognition tools, and AI-based communication supports were found to significantly enhance cognitive function, emotional well-being, and social engagement (Arab, 2024; Badr, 2024). Subgroup analyses also suggest that adaptive AI models show greater efficacy than generic applications. While improvements in physical health outcomes were less consistent, emotional and cognitive domains showed the most pronounced benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

This review demonstrates the promising role of AI in enhancing the quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia. However, the findings also underscore the need for more targeted research to assess sustained impact and address ethical, legal, and implementation challenges. Integrating AI into disability support systems has the potential to drive inclusive development across health, education, and employment sectors, provided that interventions are designed with contextual, cultural, and ethical considerations in mind.