Driving a national transformation with data and AI
In 2016, Saudi Arabia unveiled its Vision 2030, an ambitious plan to build a more diversified, innovative nation that empowers its people to thrive. The Government views the nation’s digital transformation as a key enabler of Vision 2030. In 2019, the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) was established to help the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia become a global leader in responsible AI and create a world-class AI ecosystem of government and private sector entities.
Building a data- and AI-driven economy is a significant undertaking. It requires a bold vision, strong leadership, carefully crafted strategies, a regulatory framework conducive to digital transformation, and enabling technology infrastructure. It’s also crucial to have a collaborative ecosystem of government and private sector entities that build talent, deploy AI technologies, and drive adoption.
From strategy to infrastructure to talent
SDAIA has been working to deploy innovative data and AI solutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This has included defining strategies for integrating data and AI into key domains and assisting SDAIA in the launch of the National Data Management Office to establish foundational, national data and AI regulations.
In conjunction with Accenture, SDAIA established the national cloud infrastructure as well as the National Data Bank, which enables secure, efficient data sharing among government entities. Accenture assisted SDAIA with AI research and development for the strategy of an Arabic natural language processing (NLP) mobile app.
To build talent and capacity in data and AI, SDAIA has collaborated with leading international academic institutions to establish training programs and scholarships. These initiatives have trained more than 45,000 professionals to elevate their data and AI skills. There are plans to train over 25,000 women over the next five years.