Saudi Arabia on Wednesday launched a national artificial intelligence strategy aimed at making it a global leader in the field as it seeks to diversify its oil-based economy. The National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence (NSDAI) will seek to attract $20 billion in foreign and local investments by 2030, a NSDAI statement said. Speaking at the opening of the kingdom's Global AI Summit, the head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) – which will spearhead the NSDAI strategy – said Riyadh would announce several AI partnerships. "Saudi Arabia will implement a multi-phase, multi-faceted plan that includes skills, policy and regulation, investment, research and innovation, and ecosystem development," the statement said. Saudi Arabia is pushing to diversify its economy away from oil, boost the private sector and create more jobs for Saudis under its "Vision 2030" plan.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia on Wednesday launched a national artificial intelligence strategy aimed at making it a global leader in the field as it seeks to diversify its oil-based economy. The National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence (NSDAI) will seek to attract $20 billion in foreign and local investments by 2030, a NSDAI statement said. Speaking at the opening of the kingdom's Global AI Summit, the head of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) - which will spearhead the NSDAI strategy - said Riyadh would announce several AI partnerships. "Saudi Arabia will implement a multi-phase, multi-faceted plan that includes skills, policy and regulation, investment, research and innovation, and ecosystem development," the statement said. Saudi Arabia is pushing to diversify its economy away from oil, boost the private sector and create more jobs for Saudis under its "Vision 2030" plan.

The document, called'Malta the Ultimate AI Launchpad: A Strategy and Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Malta 2030', aims to ensure that benefits brought about by this next wave of innovation delivers benefits across all segments of Maltese society. Speaking at the Summit, Muscat highlighted that this year's summit doubled in size, from 4,500 people registering last year, to 10,000 this year. "This summit is one of the best opportunities for Malta to showcase our progress, our achievements and our dedication in areas of emerging technology to the world," Muscat said. "We made great strides compared to other countries as we were ambitious in our initiatives." He said other jurisdictions were sometimes reluctant to regulate tech, like Blockchain, unlike Malta.

The government has launched the National AI strategy today, with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Parliamentary Secretary for the Digital Economy Silvio Schembri both delivering speeches during the Delta Summit. The document, called'Malta the Ultimate AI Launchpad: A Strategy and Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Malta 2030', aims to ensure that benefits brought about by this next wave of innovation delivers benefits across all segments of Maltese society. Speaking at the Summit, Muscat highlighted that this year's summit doubled in size, from 4,500 people registering last year, to 10,000 this year. "This summit is one of the best opportunities for Malta to showcase our progress, our achievements and our dedication in areas of emerging technology to the world," Muscat said. "We made great strides compared to other countries as we were ambitious in our initiatives."