Day: September 17, 2022

Riyadh– Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority “SDAIA”, the second edition of the Global AI Summit was concluded yesterday.

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 HRH Crown Prince and SDAIA Chairman of the Board of Directors for the second edition of the Global AI Summit embodies His Highness’ constant interest 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 2nd edition of the Global AI Summit have described the city of Riyadh as the city of artificial intelligence, as its hosting of the summit with this big scale of international participation comes within the framework of the directives of HRH the Crown Prince to make Riyadh one of the ten largest economic cities in the world.

SDAIA’s organization of the second edition of the Global AI Summit comes as part of its great interest in supporting the initiative of transformation to the knowledge-driven economy and build a data-based economy to achieve the vision of HRH 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 participated in more than 100 sessions held at the summit 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 the world’s countries in formulating their policies towards 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 which the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha stressed the importance that everyone should be invoved 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 in which 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 the 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 776 million riyals 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 the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef participated and 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 the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail; the SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, and the 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, the Director of Public Security, Lieutenant-General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Basami, spoke about the work of the Ministry of Interior, represented by the Public Security “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 the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH 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 developing countries take advantage of digital innovations, solve some of the most challenging issues, and 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 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 today, 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.

Another session entitled “How Can We Empower Youth Leaders Through Artificial Intelligence Education” was held, in which the 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 a conclusion of the summit, the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) and Google Cloud have 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 yesterday 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 yesterday 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).

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh–The activities of the 10th round of the multinational “Eager Lion 2022” maneuvers were concluded in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in the presence of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Major General Yousef Al-Hunaiti, the Head of the Saudi Armed Forces Education and Training Authority Major General Adel bin Mohammad Al-Balawi and a number of senior military officials of the participating countries.

The Saudi armed forces participated in the exercise with their various branches (land, air, navy and air defense), along with the forces of 27 countries.

The participation of the Saudi armed forces in the exercise aims to exchange experiences and raise combat readiness.

The end of the exercise witnessed implementation of a number of combat scenarios, as all weapons, including tanks, combat aircraft and military helicopters were used.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Makkah– Under the patronage of General President of the Holy Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Affairs, Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques held yesterday an exhibition titled “Harnessing the techniques of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims”.

The exhibition coincided with the activities of 2nd edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit, which was held under the theme of AI for the Good of Humanity.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Milan– Heavy rains and floods hit the central Italian region of Marche from the late hours of Thursday, killing at least seven people, while three others were still missing, Italian media reported on Friday, according to Reuters.

Local authorities said they did not expect such a sudden “water bomb”, as around 400 millimetres of rain fell within two to three hours, inundating the streets of several towns in the Ancona and Pesaro-Urbino provinces.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Nur-Sultan, Sep. 16, 2022, SPA — Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, met at his guest residence in the Kazakhstani capital of Nur-Sultan today with the Head of Religious Department for Russian Federation Muslims (Mufti) Rawe Einuddin and his deputy Dr. Damir Mohiddin.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the World and Traditional Religions Leaders Congress which wrapped up here yesterday, with the attendance of more than 100 delegates of world religions leaders from 60 nations of the world.

The meeting reviewed areas of cooperation and issues of mutual concern, particularly those related to the service of the Islamic action of joint interest.

For his part, the the Head of Religious Department for Russian Federation Muslims lauded the prestigious status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic world and world community, citing its efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims in the world and its historic stances towards the Russian Muslims through history.

He extended thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince for their care with Muslims all over the world and their care of worshippers of the Two Holy Mosques, including pilgrims, Umrah-seekers and visitors.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Nur-Sultan, Sep. 16, 2022, SPA — Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, met at his guest residence in the Kazakhstani capital of Nur-Sultan today with the President of Indonesian Scholars Renaissance Society Yahya Khalil Tethqov and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the World and Traditional Religions Leaders Congress which wrapped up here yesterday, with the attendance of more than 100 delegates of world religions leaders from 60 nations of the world.

The meeting reviewed areas of cooperation and issues of mutual concern, particularly those related to the service of the Islamic action of joint interest.

For his part, the President of Indonesian Scholars Renaissance Society lauded the prestigious status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic world and world community, citing its efforts in the service of Islam and Muslims and spreading the principles of tolerance and moderation.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Algiers, Sep. 16, 2022, SPA — Algerian Prime Minister Ayman ben Abdul Rahman has received at the government palce Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mo’jeb, Attorney General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the accompanying delegation, it was reported today.

During the meeting, which took place yesterday, the prime minister of Algeria cast light on the in-depth historic relations binding the two sisterly countries describing Saudi Arabia as the driving leader of the Arab joint action, gearing forward to more joint work at all political, investment, justice and legal levels.

For his part, Al-Mo’jeb expressed thanks for the warm welcome and cooperation accorded to him and the accompanying delegation in Algeria, confirming that both countries stand on a rich political history.

He highlighted the current renaissance witnessed by the Kingdom and its drive to implement the goals of its vision 2030

The meeting was attended by the Saudi ambassador to Algeria Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Baseeri.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah, Sep. 16, 2022, SPA — The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of the United Mexican States

on the anniversary of his country’s Independence Day.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his best felicitations and wished the President constant good health and happiness and the government and friendly people of the United Mexican States steady progress and prosperity.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah — His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, has sent a cable of congratulation to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of the United Mexican States, on the occasion of the anniversary of his country’s Independence Day.

In his cable, HRH the Crown Prince expressed his best felicitations and wished the President constant good health and happiness and the government and friendly people of the United Mexican States steady progress and prosperity.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Mogadishu– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed yesterday 210 tons of food baskets to the displaced and people affected by drought in Baidoa Governorate, in the southwest state of the Federal Republic of Somalia, benefiting 18,000 people.

This comes within the second phase of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s urgent intervention to contribute to covering the humanitarian needs of the people affected by drought in Somalia to support food and nutrition programs for children and provide water and shelter for the displaced, as well as life-saving emergency programs.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh– A group of AI graduate students in several prestigious international universities concluded their participation in the second edition of the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, which concluded yesterday in Riyadh and visited Masmak Palace in the center of Riyadh to be briefed on the history of the capital.

The students represented six countries joined by several Saudi scholarship students in the same specialization. Their participation came within the knowledge exchange initiative launched by “SDAIA” and hosted 19 male and female students of different nationalities including the US, the UK, India, Jordan, Algeria, South Korea, and Nigeria, who study at prestigious international universities and institutes, including the Sorbonne University in Paris, Oxford University, University College London, Durham University, Nottingham University, Sussex University in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA, and King’s College London.

Through this initiative, SDAIA aimed to attract global capabilities in artificial intelligence and to enhance the role of distinguished youth based on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and its aspirations to enable them to lead the future of artificial intelligence in the Kingdom, the region, and the world.

Over the three days of the summit, the students attended and participated in various activities of the summit agenda, including sessions, workshops, and dialogue meetings, and reviewed the experiences of the exhibition accompanying the summit, such as the artificial intelligence beacon. They also visited Princess Noura University and learned about the holdings of the Central Academic Library, and witnessed the experience of the “robot arm” that processes book borrowing requests in the university library. The delegation also visited the heritage manuscripts hall in the library.

Within the framework of the open dialogues adopted by the initiative, a friendly meeting was held between the students of artificial intelligence, in which they discussed work in the field of data, artificial intelligence, and future opportunities and attended a medical surgery simulation.

The students also met with SDAIA President, Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi and had an interactive dialogue where they discussed their work in artificial intelligence. The meeting was followed by a visit to the pavilion of King Saud University and a meeting with the head of the university’s Artificial Intelligence Center, Dr. Heba Al-Jibreen, where they were briefed on the university students’ projects in artificial intelligence. The students also visited the SDAIA’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) and had a dialogue with the center’s researchers about their work and future areas of cooperation.

On the third day of the summit, the delegation attended various sessions and learned about the experiences of the artificial intelligence laboratory at Al-Faisal University and the students’ projects in this field. Their visit program was concluded with a visit to Al-Masmak Palace, during which they learned about the historical value of the palace as an archaeological and historical Saudi landmark located in the heart of the capital, Riyadh.

On this occasion, Al-Ghamdi explained that the knowledge exchange initiative was designed to achieve several benefits, including engaging visiting students in knowledge exchange dialogues to explore opportunities for future cooperation, and introducing them to the Kingdom’s efforts in pioneering the data and artificial intelligence and the future of the sector during a journey that Saudi students will lead with their peers from international universities.

He stressed that “SDAIA” aims through the initiative to build qualitative partnerships that support its efforts in data and artificial intelligence and help attract global capabilities that achieve qualitative addition to the Kingdom, adding that the initiative contributes to activating the distinguished role of Saudi youth and engaging them in a real dialogue that develops their leadership spirit and shows their knowledge capabilities. Al-Ghamdi said that this will enhance the Kingdom’s position in data and artificial intelligence, noting that the initiative provides the opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for future cooperation through a constructive dialogue that brings together Saudi youth and foreign graduate students.

He underscored the fact that the knowledge exchange initiative plays an important role in highlighting the civilizational dimension of the Kingdom, enabling students to demonstrate the civilizational models and history of the Kingdom and the extent to which these aspects of civilization and the Kingdom’s development efforts are shown in various fields, including data and artificial intelligence.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh— King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has signed a project with the Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organization, Kanaf 2022, to distribute winter clothing to Syrian and Palestinian refugees and needy families in the host community in Jordan.

The agreement was signed by Ahmed Al Baiz, KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs, at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.

Through the project, 23,529 vouchers will be distributed to 23.529 beneficiaries, enabling them to purchase winter clothing through approved stores in proportion to their needs, with a total value of SR3.75 million.

This comes within the framework of humanitarian and relief projects provided by the Kingdom, represented by the Center, to support the neediest groups in various countries to contribute to improving their living conditions.

Source: Saudi Press Agency