Saudi Arabia to host global artificial intelligence summit in October

A data and artificial intelligence (AI) summit will be held in Saudi Arabia in October, it was announced on Friday.

The Global AI Summit, under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and organized by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), will take place on October 7-8 with the theme “AI for the Good of Humanity.”

SDAIA said the summit will be a virtual one due to the ongoing precautionary measures put in place by the Saudi government to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

The summit will discuss how AI trends can assist the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, some inspirational insights about future requirements for regulators, investors, and companies in the field of AI as well as how AI will develop in the future.

Among the participants will be many distinguished speakers and global experts from different countries, who will cover a range of topics divided into four sectors: ‘Shaping the New Normal,’ ‘AI and Governments,’ ‘Governing AI’ and ‘The Future of AI.’

According to a SDAIA statement, the event will tackle global changes and their impact on the transformation of AI and review how AI technologies can be used to create a better future for all, in addition to highlighting the most prominent technical challenges facing the global AI community today and how to develop AI technologies safely and ethically in various applications that affect human life.

The summit will include an announcement of the launch of Saudi Arabia’s National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence, which was recently adopted by King Salman and comes as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plans of seeking to achieve global leadership through a data-driven economy and AI.