SDAIA Declares the Opening of AI Offices Across 23 Saudi Government Entities

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) released a paper during the third edition of the Global AI Summit last September announcing the creation of artificial intelligence offices across 23 government entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SDAIA’s Role as a National Hub for AI

The document outlined the steps to be taken to ensure the services that artificial intelligence strategies can offer align with the entity’s objectives. It also assessed the entity’s level of preparedness to adopt AI solutions and identified the necessary development paths.

According to international best practices, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority white paper seeks to promote Vision 2030 by integrating AI into several critical and developing areas while highlighting a dedication to the technology’s ethical use.

In light of this, government entities began implementing artificial intelligence office activities, deciding on objectives and direction before forming an AI unit and assessing preparedness and maturity.

Addressed to leaders, officials, executive directors, managers of business units, and experts in charge of or involved in the shift to artificial intelligence, the document outlined the phases of AI adoption and the prerequisites for advanced data and technologies, supporting infrastructure, trained cadres, and experts in managing and running AI systems.

Moreover, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority SDAIA document also pointed out the necessity for both public and private organisations to emphasise the values of integrity, justice, privacy, security, dependability, safety, transparency, interpretability, accountability, responsibility, humanism, and social and environmental advantages as they relate to AI ethics. This will ensure that AI serves its purpose effectively in a wide range of disciplines.

Serving as a national hub for all things data and AI, SDAIA aims to increase awareness of data and AI technologies, maximise their benefits, and assist the Kingdom’s various entities in their digital transformation by offering helpful advice on how to find the best applications of AI to enhance the calibre of services offered.

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The Global AI Summit and Its Significance

With the involvement of more than 100 nations worldwide, SDAIA hosted the third edition of the Global AI Summit last September, which produced the Saudi Data Authority white paper.

The outcome was the Riyadh Charter for Artificial Intelligence in the Islamic World, which intends to create a thorough framework for creating AI technologies that adhere to Islamic principles and values while also promoting global collaboration and all-encompassing development in related fields.

The summit resulted in the signing of agreements with key international firms in the field of technology and artificial intelligence to acquire talents in this sector and localise them in the Kingdom, as well as the creation of the Saudi Network for Government Integration, “Spine”.

It seeks to establish an integrated network infrastructure as well as international and local virtual connections with the Authority’s National Information Centre to reach all parts of the Kingdom at high speeds and assist governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Additionally, the Authority started the One Million Saudis Initiative for Artificial Intelligence (Samai), which intends to train one million Saudis in artificial intelligence and data technology.

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Leading the Way in E-Government Development

Out of 83 nations worldwide, the Kingdom ranked first in the Arab world and 14th overall in the United Nations-approved Global Artificial Intelligence Index. Additionally, the United Nations E-Government Development Report 2024 placed it top internationally for open government data and first globally in the government strategy standard for artificial intelligence, according to the same report.

Saudi Arabia plans on launching a new $100 billion artificial intelligence project that will be based on funding data centres, startups, and the infrastructure required to create AI, draw in talent, enhance the local tech scene, and entice international tech firms to invest.

The initiative will be put in place using a framework similar to the $100 billion Al-Aman Fund, formed by the Public Investment Fund, and Google, an Alphabet company that focuses on sustainable manufacturing.

As part of its Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its revenue streams away from fossil fuels, the Kingdom has included artificial intelligence. As a result, it has established significant research centres and bodies devoted to the field and created large language models that are comparable to ChatGPT, putting it in the top 15 countries in the world for artificial intelligence.

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