JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will be a global artificial intelligence (AI) leader by 2030, a prominent Saudi expert has said.
Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, president of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), made the comments during a media briefing on shaping new frontiers at the International Media Center in Riyadh ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Last year, the authority developed the Estishraf Platform, an AI-based platform that utilizes data to create diversified insights and respond to the top priorities of decision-makers in Saudi Arabia.
“Through this platform we were able to earn revenues amounting to SR43 billion ($11.5 billion), only in 2019,” said Al-Ghamdi. “Undoubtedly, this is an excellent indicator for the great opportunities the national economy is waiting for after AI has become a knowledge-based economy.”
The SDAIA chief said the authority launched the NSDAI during the Global AI Summit, organized by the SDAIA and the G20 Saudi Secretariat as part of the international conferences program two weeks ago.
“We have finalized all logistic and procedures to set up the SDAIA Artificial Intelligence Company, which will be the national AI investment arm for the country,” he said.
In his speech, Al-Ghamdi, who is also chairman of the Global AI Summit, shed light on digital economy topics and the role of technology, especially AI-related tech, and its role in surviving the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. He also focused on shaping the future into a “new normal” situation.
“As much as we are proud of our ability to overcome these challenges, despite all these circumstances we also recognize the criticality of delivering together all three themes of the Saudi G20 presidency to realize the opportunities of the 21st century —empowering people, safeguarding the planet and shaping a new frontier,” he said.
“As we recover from the pandemic, there is an opportunity to unlock the potential of scientific advancements and utilize technologies to set the foundations for a brighter and sustainable future for us, our children and the generations to come.”
He said that digital technology is playing a central role in shaping today and tomorrow, and it continues to gain new grounds in people’s lives, work, education and more.
“While there is a lot of potential from emerging technologies such as AI, there is also a growing digital gap, which, if not addressed collectively, will further widen and lead to unfair distribution of the benefits and wealth that nations will be able to generate out of these technologies,” said Al-Ghamdi.
In recognition of these risks, Saudi Arabia has led fruitful G20 dialogues on critical topics that will shape digital economies and the future, including trustworthy AI, data free flow, smart cities and digital economy security and measurement.
Al-Ghamdi said that Saudi Arabia’s unique national digital and data capabilities were vital in enabling the country to fight and reduce the effects of the pandemic, while continuing to advance the national agenda towards the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The SDAIA president warned that, while AI can cause the disappearance of jobs, new AI-based job opportunities will flourish.
“As per the 2030 targets, we are going to train 40 percent of the relevant workforce in data and AI. We will also have over 20,000 AI and data specialists by the year 2030. Moreover, we are creating up to 40,000 direct and indirect jobs related to data and artificial intelligence,” he said.
Saudi Arabia eyeing AI future ahead of G20 summit
https://arab.news/9xe6d
Saudi Arabia eyeing AI future ahead of G20 summit
- Al-Ghamdi: “We have finalized all logistic and procedures to set up the SDAIA Artificial Intelligence Company”
King Salman issues royal order to promote 26 judges
RIYADH: King Salman issued a royal order on Friday to promote 26 judges at the Board of Grievances, Saudi Press Agency reported.
President of the Board of Grievances and Administrative Judicial Council Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Yousef said that the royal order confirmed the keenness of the Kingdom’s leadership to support the judiciary to develop its performance and achieve quality and efficiency.
Earlier this month, the king issued a royal decree on Saturday to appoint 261 investigative lieutenants at the Ministry of Justice’s Public Prosecution.
Saudi crown prince receives princes, officials, scholars, citizens in Eastern Region
- The audience was also attended by energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman
DAMMAM: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday received several princes, officials, scholars and a group of citizens at the Gulf Palace in Dammam, Saudi Press Agency reported.
At the beginning of the reception, they all listened to a recitation of verses from the Holy Qu’ran, SPA added.
The audience was also attended by Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, governor of the Eastern Province, energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and Prince Mishari bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed.
While in the Eastern Province, the crown prince also held a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, according to an Al Arabiya report.
Faia Younan serenades Ithra
- At the opening night performance, Younan sang to a full house — almost every plush red seat at the Ithra Theater was occupied
- Throughout the performance, the band surrounded the singer like a frame, with the set lights changing colors behind her
DHAHRAN: Syrian star Faia Younan graced the stage at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Ithra, for the first of two evenings of music on Thursday.
Returning to the Ithra stage after almost a year, the singer-songwriter performed a medley of her most popular hits, some original songs and a few covers.
“Her music fuses modern arrangements, traditional instruments and lyrics based on classical literary poetry, shaping her unique musical identity,” Ithra said in a statement to Arab News.
At the opening night performance, Younan sang to a full house — almost every plush red seat at the Ithra Theater was occupied.
After her first song, the singer asked the sound team to turn on the balcony lights so she could greet the audience.
“I am so excited to be back in the Kingdom. I would like the lights to be turned on so I could capture a visual snapshot of this beautiful crowd,” she told her fans to loud applause.
Younan included the audience by asking them to clap along to certain sections and encouraging them to join in when she repeated part of a song, telling them: “Those aching to sing along can do so with me.”
Throughout the performance, the band surrounded the singer like a frame, with the set lights changing colors behind her.
Younan thanked every musician who accompanied her on stage. The band was led by pianist Rayan Habe, followed by Mohamed Ben Salha on ney, Abdul Halim Al-Khatib on qanoun, Yarub Samarait on violin, Walid Nassaer and Salman Baalbaki on percussion, and Julio Eid on bass guitar.
In an endearing moment, the heel of Younan’s shoe broke as she was belting out a lyric. But the singer completed the song without interruption, then elegantly removed her shoes and told the crowd that the accident was a blessing in disguise.
“Now, I can dance more easily to the next song, which will be Khaleeji,” she told the roaring crowd.
After singing many Arabic songs, Younan switched to Assyrian sounds, performing in one of the many ancient languages spoken in her native Syria.
The singer made history in 2015 when she became the first woman artist from the MENA region to crowdfund her debut single, “Ohebbou Yadayka.”
Younan has more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram and a huge fan base in the region.
Earlier this year, she was one of the winners of the Prince Abdullah bin Faisal Award for Arabic Poetry, in the best sung poem category, which earned her a prize of SR200,000 ($53,333).
“Mashallah, Faia managed to play a lot of her songs — and her singing live sounds a lot like the studio recording,” attendee Assiel Al-Shuail told Arab News at the end of the opening night.
The finale of Younan’s two-day show ends Friday, starting 8 p.m.
Culinary diplomacy from the heart of Alkhobar
- Grant was joined on the visit by James Sindle, US consul-general in Dhahran
- “The food has been great, super tasty, great flavors, but also, there’s some similarities here and there, so it always felt welcoming and inviting,” Grant told Arab News
ALKHOBAR: Celebrated American chef Jerome Grant ventured to Dhahran on Thursday to teach Saudi culinary students about a dish close to his heart. As a culinary diplomat, Grant visited ZADK Culinary Academy to break bread, learn about Saudi cuisine, and provide a bit of his homeland on a plate.
Grant was joined on the visit by James Sindle, US consul-general in Dhahran.
“It’s my first visit to Saudi. The food has been great, super tasty, great flavors, but also, there’s some similarities here and there, so it always felt welcoming and inviting,” Grant told Arab News.
“I think food is a great tool that connects us as people and human beings. We could all be all different walks of life, different cultures, different religions, but the connection at our dinner table in our food, I believe, is what helps with a lot of the communication.”
Before owning his current BBQ joint, Grant led the revolution in museum dining, landing him three James Beard nominations. Grant uses recipes that highlight the richness of his multi-cultural heritage — he is half Filipino, half Jamaican, and resides in the US — and each part of his story is steeped in playful flavor. In 2019, he was named one of the “16 Black chefs changing food in America” by the New York Times and was nominated that same year for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic and Best American Cookbook. In 2017, his restaurant was on the James Beard Foundation’s list of Best New Restaurants.
Sindle was elated to swap his suit jacket and tie for a ZADK apron and was immediately put on tomato-peeling duty.
“It was absolutely lovely. It was nice to see the exchange between a US food diplomat and the students learning the culinary arts and having an opportunity to share a little bit about American culinary tradition. It’s not just about hamburgers and hotdogs,” Sindle said with a laugh.
The students at ZADK were curious, attentive, passionate and overjoyed at cooking with Grant. At the end of the cooking demonstration, each took a spoon and scraped a bite. Some students compared the creamy grits to the popular milky Hijazi dish, saleeg. Grant stood around answering questions and taking selfies with the budding chefs.
“As a graduate ... from ZADK, I had the opportunity to explore the chef life and explore the back of the house and now I’m exploring the opportunity to be in front of the house,” Saudi chef Esmaeel Bukhamseen told Arab News.
“It was honestly an amazing thing. The students had good questions. I’m very proud of them. They’re asking the right questions to the chef. The chef himself was impressed with their knowledge and was learning a lot of things from the students and the students were learning from him. I honestly encourage that we have such visits more often,” he continued.
“(It was) just a great honor for me to sit with such personalities and to showcase what it is being a Saudi chef.”
Bukhamseen is the epitome of the ZADK success story. First enrolled as a student, then hired to work with the team overseeing the new batch of students, he has seen both sides of the culinary experience and empathizes with the mission that Rania Moualla, founder of ZADK, has been amplifying.
Moualla, who was present during the visit, walked the US envoy through her journey. As the founder of the first non-profit culinary academy to offer a Saudi-centric curriculum, ZADK — whose name derives from the Arabic word “zad,” which alludes to Arab generosity and food for travel — combines a revolutionary concept with a humble mission. In just five years, it has established itself as an important part of the culinary sector in the region.
ZADK’s mission was to be situated strategically at their flagship location, further turning the Eastern Province into a culinary and cultural hub. About 50 percent of the academy’s students are from the area and the rest come from other parts of the Kingdom. Everyone at ZADK is actively exploring Saudi cuisine — merging medleys of traditional Saudi flavors from their families and adding their own innovative twists — to help feed the community and the world at large.
“Our best memories always are about the food,” Moualla told Arab News. “When we’re sharing a meal with somebody we love, actually it’s building memories, and we are what we are now because of those memories.”
Saudi students win 9 special awards at ISEF 2024 in US
- Saudi team also hopeful to win grand prizes tonight
- The Saudi Science and Engineering team now holds 50 prizes
RIYADH: For the 18th year in a row, students from Saudi Arabia participating in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair have won nine special awards.
The fair, being held in Los Angeles in the US, was sponsored by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education.
The special awards were won by Jamal Mohammed Al-Luqmani in materials science, Elias Maho Khan in biomedicine and health sciences, Layan Al-Qarafi in software systems, Areej bint Abdullah Al-Qarni, won two special awards in the field of materials science, Fatima Al-Shakhs in environmental engineering, Lana Al-Mazrouei in cellular and molecular biology, Abeer Al-Yousef in chemistry, and Saleh Al-Anqari in chemistry.
Mawhiba’s Secretary-General Dr. Amal bint Abdullah Al-Hazzaa said that this victory reflects the combined efforts and complementary relationship between Mawhiba, the Ministry of Education, and their strategic partners in achieving the goals and initiatives of the Saudi Vision 2030.
She praised the results and fruits of this partnership, highlighting the numerous achievements at the international level and the representation of the Kingdom in a manner worthy of its global status.
The Saudi Science and Engineering team now holds 50 prizes from the special awards presented by various companies during their participation in the ISEF.
The results of the grand prizes are expected to be announced on Friday evening, when the Saudi team is hopeful to win more accolades.
Regeneron ISEF 2024, the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition, taking place from May 11-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The ISEF is an annual science fair in the US. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501 non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
