RIYADH — Under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority SDAIA, the second edition of the Global AI Summit concluded in Riyadh on Thursday.

Organized by SDAIA under the theme “AI for the Good of Humanity", the summit was attended by about 10,000 people representing policy makers, experts and specialists in artificial intelligence from 90 countries.

The event was held at Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz International Conference Center from 13 to 15 September 2022.

This summit was an exceptional summit in terms of the qualitative attendance of dignitaries and experts from different countries of the world and in terms of the large interaction of participants and the agreements that exceeded 40 ones that brought together a unique partnership between the public and private sectors towards investing artificial intelligence technologies in the development of services being provided by the agencies with their impact on the quality of life and serving humanity in the world, not to mention the announcement of 10 local and international initiatives between global companies and institutions in order to enhance international cooperation on artificial intelligence and its uses.

The patronage of the Crown Prince for the second edition of the Global AI Summit embodies his persistence in making the Kingdom a leading global model in building knowledge economies to serve our present and future generations and achieve the goals of Vision 2030.

Many participants in the summit have described Riyadh as the city of artificial intelligence. The hosting of the event on such a big scale of international participation came within the directives of the Crown Prince to make Riyadh one of the ten largest economic cities in the world.

SDAIA organized the second edition of the Global AI Summit as part of its great interest in supporting the initiative for transformation to a knowledge-driven and data-based economy to achieve the vision of the Crown Prince to raise the Kingdom's position to the ranks of data-based economies.

Over the course of three days, the summit formed an international platform that brought together experts, specialists, academics, CEOs of major technology companies in the world, thought leaders, innovators and decision-makers in government and private sectors from around the world, including leading companies, investors and businessmen to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in various fields.

The participants attended in more than 100 sessions with more than 220 local and international speakers who presented a set of different visions on artificial intelligence to serve as a global pact for the benefit of all countries in formulating their policies toward artificial intelligence and its various uses.

On the first day of the summit, the sessions, which included various scientific dialogues, discussed the most prominent uses of technology to preserve the environment, including a session entitled “Using Technology to Revitalize Forests” within the forum of “Saudi Green ” initiative.

During the session, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha stressed the importance that everyone should be involved in climate change, know the true enormity of this crisis and focus on the enhancement of carbon-economy solutions.

A session entitled “Public Sector and Global Governance: Defining the Big Vision for Current and Coming AI Technologies, Research, Policies and Social Impacts” was also held. The participants discussed how to explore them through the potential of unifying disparate AI visions and frameworks and how technology and academic leaders around the world can benefit and use them for the benefit of mankind.

In a session entitled “Artificial Intelligence for Digital Twins,” the CEO of NEOM, Engineer Nazmi Al-Nasr considered artificial intelligence as the "beating heart" of NEOM, noting that it will lead the future in modern designs and technologies, as during the past five years expectations have been exceeded by transforming vision into strategies in cooperation with many partners.

He pointed out that The Line project will be the future of the world and will depend on the full use of artificial intelligence as well as the first stake, in addition to that the project will revolutionize the world of designs for cities, urban planning and lifestyle.

In the same context, the President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Professor Dr. Tony F. Chan, stressed in one of his participation in the summit sessions that artificial intelligence technology has actively contributed to the development of the industrial, innovation, health and infrastructure sectors, and has played a vital role in confronting and solving many challenges, stressing that this technology has become more important nowadays for human service.

During the first day of the summit, a number of agreements and partnerships were signed between major international companies and government agencies in the Kingdom, including the signing of an agreement between the Saudi Artificial Intelligence Company owned by the Public Investment Fund with "SenseTime" company, the world's leading artificial intelligence company to establish a new company in the Kingdom with an estimated investment value of SR776 million to finance an advanced artificial intelligence laboratory, and to create distinguished jobs for talented Saudis in order to place the Kingdom in the leadership position in the field of artificial intelligence technology in the region.

The Ministry of Energy and SDAIA, through their joint center (Joint Artificial Intelligence Center for Energy), also signed a strategic agreement with IBM to accelerate the adoption of the circular carbon economy using artificial intelligence.

SDAIA, represented by the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center for Energy with the Ministry of Enegry, also signed a memorandum of understanding with Halliburton Company (listed on the New York Stock Exchange) to develop artificial intelligence solutions in oil and gas locally and globally.

The second day of the summit witnessed various scientific sessions and dialogues, including a session entitled "The Role of Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence in the Field of Industry and Mining", in which Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef stressed the importance of advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence in the field of industry and mining and their role In supporting and increasing productivity. He also indicated that advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence in industry and mining contribute to improving reliability, enhancing employee safety, and making our industries more sustainable.

Also, on the second day, the summit witnessed the inauguration of the “Smartathon” competition by Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail; SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, and CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City Fahd bin Abdulmohsen Al-Rasheed.

The Smartathon competition was held under the title "Smart Cities Challenge" with the aim of developing modern solutions to improve the urban landscape in the cities of the Kingdom and finding technical solutions that contribute to detecting and reducing visual distortions.

The SDAIA signed an agreement with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop a global framework to measure AI readiness and help countries in the world share and adopt AI best practices, regulatory frameworks and institutional reforms necessary for countries to harness all AI capabilities for the service of humanity.

In one of the dialogue sessions, Director of Public Security Lieutenant-General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Basami spoke about the work of the Ministry of Interior, represented by the Special Forces for Hajj and Umrah Security and SDAIA to develop a strategic partnership to develop a number of algorithms aimed at improving the service being provided to those who are visiting the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, in the context of the follow-up and attention being accorded to the Two Holy Mosques by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince.

The second day of the summit also witnessed the announcement of the Kingdom's joining, represented by SDAIA, to the "digital development partnership" under the umbrella of the World Bank, which is a cooperative partnership between the public and private sectors to help the developing countries take advantage of digital innovations, solve some of the most challenging issues. As a new member of this partnership, the Kingdom will contribute to supporting initiatives aimed at promoting the development of data capabilities, accelerating the use of digital tools, and sharing the Kingdom's experiences and capabilities in order to achieve sustainable growth and economic development.

Moreover, the Kingdom launched the principles of ethics for artificial intelligence that it has prepared to contribute to facilitating the practical application of ethics during the life cycle stages of developing artificial intelligence systems. They also contribute to supporting research, development and innovation development initiatives in the Kingdom, which is reflected in the quality of services provided by the Kingdom to individuals and ensures the responsible use of artificial intelligence applications.

In a session entitled "Visualizing the ecosystem for the adoption of artificial intelligence", the Ministry of Health and SDAIA launched the prototype of the early detection program for breast cancer using artificial intelligence algorithms.

The first center specialized in sustainability solutions and their applications using artificial intelligence techniques in the environment, water and agriculture was launched under the name "AIEWA" Artificial Intelligence Center in Environment, Water and Agriculture". The “SDAIA, MEWA and Google Cloud and Climate Engine" launched the Earth Observation and Science Program, which relies on technology Earth observation and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide sustainability solutions that address climate change risks and enhance environmental protection in the Kingdom and the region, such as: reducing carbon emissions by more than 278 million tons annually by 2030, and planting 10 billion trees across the Kingdom by 2030.

The SDAIA and the Ministry of Health established a Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Health (AIH) to support and unify national efforts to develop knowledge and expertise in the field of artificial intelligence, and lead data focused on health and artificial intelligence innovations. The SDAIA, represented by the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, announced the launch of the advanced "Your Voice" system for converting speech into texts based on voice recognition technologies in cooperation with the Saudi Artificial Intelligence Company "Sky", which is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund.

On day three of the summit, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, Minister of Commerce, and Qais bin Mohammed Al-Yousef, Omani Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, visited the summit’s headquarters and were briefed on the exhibition and its pavilions, with the participation of major local and international companies specialized in artificial intelligence techniques. The two ministers attended a session entitled: “Future Skills in Data Science and AI”.

In a plenary session on the final day, Dr. Badr Al-Badr, CEO of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), affirmed that Misk is working on artificial intelligence education programs, indicating that the unique Misk schools have micro-degrees in artificial intelligence.

In the session entitled "How Can We Empower Youth Leaders Through Artificial Intelligence Education", CEO of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program "Ndaleb" Eng. Suleiman Al-Mazrou stressed that artificial intelligence will contribute to doubling the productivity of the energy, industry and mining sectors, indicating that the Kingdom's Vision 2030 will contribute to the well-being of the local community.

In another plenary session entitled (The Global Elevate Program for Empowering Woman in the Field of Artificial Intelligence), Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al Muqrin, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), affirmed the Kingdom’s keenness to promote women’s empowerment around the world, especially in the field of science, through various initiatives, in addition to its contribution to the formulation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence to ensure that no one is left behind.

Before the conclusion of the summit, the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and Google Cloud announced “Elevate" Program which is a new collaboration aimed at enabling women in the world to practice new jobs in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning in emerging markets by training more than 25,000 women over the next five years.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Qassim University represented by Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishaal Chair for Artificial Intelligence signed an agreement to enhance partnership in the field of research and technical development. The Saudi Electronic University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Digital Health Excellence Center of the Ministry of Health dealing with cooperation projects and initiatives and employing capabilities and expertise for both sides to achieve their common interest.

At the conclusion of the summit, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, honored the winners of the AI Artathon in its second edition, as part of the Global AI Summit’s initiatives. The two contestants, Obeid Al-Safi and Elaine Lexba, won first place for their artwork (Where Loss Goes).

Meanwhile, team members Reem Al-Ruwaili, Wafaa Al-Ghamdi, and Fatima Al-Ghamdi won second place in the competition for their work (City of Poems). The third place went to team members Yasser Sinjab and Firas Seif El-Din for their work (Spatial of Ecologies). — SPA