Saudi Arabia is planning to invest more than 20 billion riyals ($5.3 billion) in artificial intelligence by 2030, Chairman of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) Abdullah Bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi announced yesterday. "We aim to train 20,000 specialists in artificial intelligence by 2030," Al-Ghamdi told reporters on the sidelines of the media centre program of the G20 summit, which is currently being held in the kingdom's capital city of Riyadh. The Saudi official pointed out that the kingdom was the third country in the world to use technology to combat the coronavirus, stressing that artificial intelligence was a: "Source of savings and an additional source of income worth investing." This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will be a global artificial intelligence (AI) leader by 2030, a prominent Saudi expert has said. Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, president of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), made the comments during a media briefing on shaping new frontiers at the International Media Center in Riyadh ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit. Last year, the authority developed the Estishraf Platform, an AI-based platform that utilizes data to create diversified insights and respond to the top priorities of decision-makers in Saudi Arabia. "Through this platform we were able to earn revenues amounting to SR43 billion ($11.5 billion), only in 2019," said Al-Ghamdi. "Undoubtedly, this is an excellent indicator for the great opportunities the national economy is waiting for after AI has become a knowledge-based economy."

Established by a royal decree issued on 30 August 2019, SDAIA is responsible for overseeing the national data and AI strategy through three executive arms: The National Data Management Office (NDMO), the National Information Center (NIC), and the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI). Through its vision, SDAIA seeks to establish the Kingdom as a global leader among the league of data-driven economies. Its mission relies on unlocking the value of data as a national asset to realize Vision 2030 aspirations by setting the national data and AI strategy and overseeing its execution through harmonized data policies, data and insights capabilities, and continuous AI and data innovation. Given that nearly 70% of the strategic goals, as mentioned, are AI and data related, the role of SDAIA is imperative. Speaking earlier this year at the launch of its brand identity, Dr. Abdullah Bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, the President of SDAIA, said, "We have witnessed first-hand, the early impact of AI and data-driven initiatives and their potential to propel Saudi Arabia's future economy, but we are still in the early stages with several untapped opportunities available. We, at SDAIA, have been tasked with defining the national data and AI strategy, and delivering on our nation's vision for the future by optimizing our national resources, improving efficiencies and enabling the creation of diversified economic sectors."

RIYADH: Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to contribute an estimated SR500 billion ($133 billion) to the Kingdom's gross domestic product by 2030, according to the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). The SDAIA was launched last August by royal decree and is responsible for overseeing the country's data and AI strategy through the National Data Management Office, the National Information Center, and the National Center for Artificial Intelligence. The SDAIA said the value of Saudi Arabia's data and AI economy was currently estimated at between SR15 - 20 billion, and that there was an opportunity to generate additional revenues and savings of over SR40 billion by harnessing data insights to help guide government decisions. "We have witnessed firsthand the early impact of AI and data-driven initiatives and their potential to propel Saudi Arabia's future economy, but we are still in the early stages with several untapped opportunities available," Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, president of the SDAIA, said at a launch event for the authority's new logo. The SDAIA seeks to place the Kingdom among the world's leading economies by adopting AI.

Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi is the newly appointed head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. The appointment was made in one of several royal decrees issued by King Salman. Amongst the other decrees, Saleh Al-Othaim was made Al-Ghamdi's deputy. Al-Ghamdi had previously served as head of the National Information Center since August. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in information systems from King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh in 1991.