RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has enjoyed a fruitful year of events and initiatives intended to advance the adoption of artificial intelligence, propelling the Kingdom to the 14th position in the Global AI Index and 1st in the Arab world. Recently, Saudi Arabia was also ranked third globally in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s AI Policy Observatory, behind the US and the UK. But how did the Kingdom rise to such heights? The “State of AI in Saudi Arabia” report, unveiled by Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, the president of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, detailed the Kingdom’s advancements from 2019-23 during the Global AI Summit held in Riyadh in September.
The report provided a comprehensive overview of the Kingdom’s progress in AI, focusing on seven key pillars: regulations and policies, investment, infrastructure, data, talent development, research and innovation, and adoption. It also highlighted the Saudi Data and AI Authority’s central role in driving the Kingdom’s digital transformation. According to SDAIA’s forecasts, AI is expected to contribute SR58.
8 trillion ($15.6 trillion) to the global economy by 2030 and create 98 million jobs by 2025. Mohammed Al-Qarni, an academic and consultant on AI for business, believes the rapid pace of the Kingdom’s AI adoption has come at “a critical time.
” “It is now or never,” Al-Qarni told Arab News. “Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambition to be a globally competitiv.
