RIYADH — More than 424,000 Saudi citizens have enrolled in the "SAMAI" initiative — an artificial intelligence (AI) awareness and training program led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) — as part of the Kingdom's ambitious plan to equip 1 million Saudis with foundational AI knowledge. The initiative reflects the nation's broader efforts to build a digitally empowered society aligned with Vision 2030. SDAIA highlighted the growing global impact of data and AI technologies, which it said are driving transformative change across sectors such as education, healthcare, industry, cybersecurity, agriculture, energy, and national security. These technologies are not only enhancing productivity and innovation, but also helping solve complex developmental challenges to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and peaceful world. Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has become the Kingdom's national reference in the regulation and advancement of data and AI. The authority focuses on maximizing the economic value of data, ensuring ethical AI practices, and developing local capabilities through specialized courses and certifications. SDAIA also issued a comprehensive set of AI regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines for both government entities and the public, including principles on generative AI, deepfake content, national data governance, and academic standards for AI-related disciplines. These guidelines aim to ensure safe, responsible, and culturally aligned adoption of AI technologies. To raise trust in AI systems, SDAIA launched an AI service provider certification program for the private sector. Certified providers are evaluated across five maturity levels—from "Aware" to "Leader"—and are granted a validity period of one year, encouraging higher quality AI applications and services. The authority further introduced a self-assessment tool on AI ethics via the National Data Governance Platform. This tool supports public and private institutions in evaluating their ethical compliance during AI development and deployment phases. In a move to address global concerns, SDAIA released a specialized report on AI bias, highlighting risks that emerge as AI adoption grows across critical sectors worldwide. The report emphasizes the need for fairness and inclusivity in algorithmic decision-making. SDAIA has also advanced personal data protection by introducing the Kingdom's "Personal Data Protection Law," which regulates how personal data—such as names, addresses, ID numbers, images, and financial information—is processed and shared. The law seeks to preserve privacy and prevent misuse of data in both public and private sectors. One of SDAIA's most impactful projects to date is its partnership with the Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority, which resulted in over SR5 billion in financial impact through the "DEEM Cloud" platform. The platform consolidated 230 data centers and now offers 49 services to more than 180 government entities. Looking ahead, AI is projected to play a major role in global employment shifts. According to the World Economic Forum's latest "Future of Jobs" report, AI will contribute to the creation of 69 million new jobs over the coming years. Complementary research by the International Labour Organization suggests generative AI will support human roles rather than eliminate them by automating selected tasks. In terms of efficiency, consulting firms Deloitte and McKinsey estimate that generative AI can reduce operational costs by up to 30%. McKinsey's study of over 1,300 companies revealed significant cost savings in HR departments (10–37%) and profit growth in supply chain divisions, in some cases exceeding 6%.
