Saudi Arabia recently announced the launch of the ‘One Million Saudi in AI’ (SAMAI) initiative, which seeks to empower one million Saudis in artificial intelligence (AI).
In collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the minister of education Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, and Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) president Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi announced the initiative during the third Global AI Summit.
The SAMAI initiative, the largest of its kind in Saudi Arabia, seeks to empower one million Saudis to interact with a world led by AI, ensuring a better future that enhances human capabilities. The initiative will allow male and female citizens to understand AI, its uses and ethics. Moreover, it will train citizens on the skills and tools they need to integrate AI into business and daily life effectively and safely.
The SAMAI initiative marks a significant strategic step towards developing human capital in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it is a milestone in achieving the national goal of becoming a global leader in technology and innovation.
Global tech giants including Microsoft and IBM SkillsBuild have partnered with the initiative to provide training content accessible through the initiative’s educational platform.
Global AI Summit sees 80 agreements
The third Global AI Summit witnessed the participation of 465 speakers and participants from over 100 countries. The summit saw the signing of 80 agreements with local and international entities, the most notable of which is the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop a global framework for AI readiness.
In addition to the SAMAI initiative, the summit saw the announcement of the Riyadh Charter on Artificial Intelligence for the Islamic World issued by the Islamic World Educational, and the Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (ICESCO) collaboration with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Observatory on Artificial Intelligence.
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Key AI projects
For his part, National Information Center director Dr. Esam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait highlighted important AI projects that emerged during the summit. This includes the Arabic Large Language Model (ALLaM) which seeks to develop the best large Arabic language model in the world. Other announcements included the cooperation with NVIDIA to expand the scope of AI infrastructure using 5,000 graphics processing units.
Additionally, the summit saw the announcement of several educational integration initiatives such as the SAMAI initiative and the cooperation with the Ministry of Education to integrate the ALLaM Model into the Kingdom’s education system, providing support tools for teachers and leveraging AI technology for self-learning.
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