New Saudi national education programs; Qatar adds $2B startup funding
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest, brought to you by big data analytics and AI company Presight!
Lots of events over the past week or so, including ICAN 2026 in Riyadh last week, the Qatar Web Summit and this week’s World Governments Summit in Dubai, all with a clear focus on AI. ICAN saw Saudi Arabia announce two massive national education initiatives: the first to raise AI literacy across government and the second to introduce mandatory AI curricula for all undergraduate students at universities.
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Education
Saudi Arabia launches SAMAI 2 for public sector
#Saudi #education - Saudi Arabia has unveiled SAMAI 2, a nationwide AI workforce initiative targeting government employees. Led by SDAIA with 11 ministries, the programme aims to boost AI literacy, productivity and sector-specific adoption across a public workforce of around 1.2 million people. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi Arabia mandates AI curriculum for universities
#Saudi #education - Saudi Arabia has launched a mandatory national data and AI curriculum for all university undergraduates. Announced by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) at ICAN 2026 in Riyadh, the programme equips students across disciplines with practical data skills and responsible AI use, supported by 14 partner universities. (Middle East AI News)
Jordan rolls out AI-powered literacy in schools
#Jordan #education - Jordan’s Ministry of Education has launched a national AI-powered literacy initiative with Amira Learning, Carter Education Group and NorthStar Education. The programme introduces agentic AI reading support into primary schools, combining personalised learning with teacher insights to improve English literacy outcomes nationwide. (Yahoo Finance)
Kuwait trains teachers to integrate AI in classrooms
#Kuwait #teachertraining- The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences has launched an AI training programme for teachers in Hawalli Governorate. Partnering with Cambridge University Press and Assessment, the initiative equips educators with practical tools for AI-enabled lesson planning, assessment and student creativity. (Arab Times)
Data Centres
Middle East set for fastest data centre growth
#MiddleEast #growth - Consultancy Knight Frank forecasts the Middle East will be the world’s fastest-growing data centre market, with annual capacity growth of 62.5 percent. Regional capacity is expected to rise from 1.2 gigawatts in 2025 to 3.2 gigawatts by 2027, driven by AI-first infrastructure. (Middle East AI News)
Cybersecurity
UAE researchers unveil cybersecurity LLM RedSage
#UAE #cybersecurity - Khalifa University researchers, working with the University of Bonn and the University of Milan, have developed RedSage, an open-source cybersecurity large language model. Accepted at ICLR 2026, the model shows strong benchmarks and supports on-premises deployment for privacy-focused security operations. (Middle East AI News)
Funding
Qatar adds $2 billion to fund backing tech startups
#Qatar #funding - Qatar has announced a $2 billion expansion of its Fund of Funds at Web Summit Qatar 2026, lifting total backing to $3 billion. Led by the Qatar Investment Authority, the move strengthens Doha’s appeal to founders and venture capital, supported by new 10-year residency incentives. (The Peninsula)
AI Voice
Ooredoo Qatar rolls out AI voice sales calling
#Qatar #salesagents - Ooredoo has launched AI-powered outbound sales calling using Microsoft Azure OpenAI real-time voice technology. The deployment enhances customer engagement while improving productivity, scalability and operational efficiency across contact centre operations, marking a regional first in live AI voice adoption. (Zawya)
South Korea
South Korea, Saudi Arabia deepen AI industry ties
#Saudi #Korea - A South Korean AI consortium has signed a preliminary agreement with Aramco Digital in Dammam to pursue joint opportunities across energy and manufacturing. The partnership links Korean full-stack AI capabilities with Saudi industrial scale, accelerating cross-border deployment in core economic sectors. (Yonhap News)
Digital transformation
Bain, WGS launch public sector AI readiness tool
#UAE #assessment - Bain & Company, working with the World Governments Summit, has launched the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool at WGS 2026. The platform assesses government maturity across strategy, technology, talent and governance, helping agencies move beyond pilots toward scalable, measurable AI deployment aligned with national priorities. (Middle East AI News)
CALIM beta launches AI contracts platform in GCC
#Qatar #blockchain - Doha-based CALIM has beta launched CALIM360, an AI and blockchain-powered contracts management platform. Targeting construction, energy and infrastructure projects across Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the platform aims to streamline complex contract administration and compliance at enterprise scale. (The Peninsula)
Sentiment
Accenture flags AI execution gap in Middle East
#MiddleEast #confidence - New Accenture research positions the Middle East as a global leader in AI confidence and workforce readiness. However, the Pulse of Change study shows the region also has the world’s highest concern over skills shortages, underscoring the need for job redesign and sustained capability building. (Zawya)
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]
Fantastic roundup on the region's AI push. The SAMAI 2 program scaling to 1.2m gov employees is huge, especially paired with the mandatory AI curriculum for undergrads, that's basically nation-building through education and feels like a smart long-term play. I've seen similiar initiatives in other places but the scope here is wild, prob the most ambitious public sector AI adoption drive globally rn.