Saudi AI strategy launched; New Saudi-World Bank AI partnership
Good morning,
Here’s your weekly Middle East AI News!
News on education, smart cities, cloud AI, aerospace R&D and the new Saudi national AI strategy to share today.
The virtual Global AI Summit kicked off yesterday afternoon with an opening address from Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). Dr. Al-Ghamdi launched the Kingdom's new National Strategy for Data & AI (NSDAI), outlining some ambitious goals, including an investment target of $20 billion.
Meanwhile, also at the Summit, a partnership was announced between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Bank to help to fund, catalyse and advance AI for sustainable impact.
The Global AI Summit continues this afternoon from 2pm Riyadh time (3pm Dubai / 12 noon UK) and includes a panel discussion on national AI strategies. You can view the agenda and register here.
Stay safe & have a great weekend!
/Carrington
Global AI Summit 2020
Saudi national AI strategy announced with investment target of $20 billion — www.carringtonmalin.com
#Saudi #GlobalAISummit - The Saudi National Strategy for Data and AI was announced at the virtual Global AI Summit yesterday by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) president Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi. Among other ambitious goals, is a $20 billion target set for investment in data and AI initiatives. (Carringtonmalin.com)
Saudi Arabia and World Bank to bring AI to developing nations — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #GlobalAISummit - Saudi Arabia and the World Bank announced a collaboration at the Global AI Summit to make the world a better place with AI. Officials said the partnership will help to fund, catalyse and advance AI for sustainable impact, while guiding policy in AI innovation for challenges such as poverty, diseases and illiteracy. (Arab News)
Saudi crown prince calls for global collaboration to unlock benefits of AI for all — www.arabnews.com
#Saudi #GlobalAISummit - As the world faces unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year offers the perfect opportunity to test the potential of AI, according to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Arab News)
Cloud AI
KSA’s STC and NVIDIA team up to build Saudi's first AI and deep learning cloud infrastructure — www.itp.net
#Saudi #Cloud - Telecom operator STC is working with NVIDIA to build Saudi Arabia’s first AI and deep learning cloud infrastructure, enabling domestic enterprises to fast-track AI adoption and showcasing the Kingdom’s digital leadership in the region. (ITP.net)
Digital Readiness
SRTI Park develops pilot to accelerate AI Readiness transformation of Sharjah government — wam.ae
#UAE #AIreadiness - Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) is collaborating with Sharjah’s Department of Government Relations and AI Directions to develop a pilot programme to enable the accelerated AI readiness of government entities in Sharjah. (Emirates News Agency)
Education
AI-powered Alef platform to reach 196 public schools in UAE by year end — www.khaleejtimes.com
#UAE #education - An AI-driven learning platform from Alef Education is currently being implemented at Ministry of Education (MoE) schools in the UAE. The platform, which aims to create an interactive and engaging learning experience, is expected to be implemented across 196 public schools in the country by end of this year. (Khaleej Times)
TAIF Digital Institute announces 5 new global partnerships — salaamgateway.com
#UAE #MENA #education - Ras Al Khaimah-based TAIF Digital Institute has announced new global partnerships in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco and Egypt. The company provides AI-powered learning solutions for Islamic Financial Institutions. (Salaam Gateway)
CIT Minister meets startup founders to define obstacles facing sector — dailynewsegypt.com
#Egypt #AIskills - Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology (CIT) Amr Talaat met with a group of startup founders this week. Among the topics were supporting the startup ecosystem and the ministry's backing of the “500-500” initiative (see Middle East AI News, June 11), which aims to train 500 young people in data science and AI over nine months. (Daily News Egypt)
Smart Cities
Users conduct 1.3 million transactions with Dubai Police smart services so far this year — gulfnews.com
#UAE #smartpolice - Dubai Police handled 1,342,262 transactions through its smart service channels since January, including 60,216 transactions via Dubai Police Smart Police Stations (SPS). (Gulf News)
Egyptian president reviews progress of construction work on New Administrative Capital — www.egypttoday.com
#Egypt #smartcities - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi this week reviewed the progress of construction and engineering work in the New Administrative Capital .The future smart city capital is located east of Cairo and is expected to accommodate 6.5 million people. (Egypt Today)
Aerospace
Lockheed Martin interns showcase new AI solution for aircraft inspection to Tawazun, EDGE — wam.ae
#UAE #R&D - Top-performing Emirati interns at Lockheed Martin, recently showcased a new solution developed during their summer internships to senior UAE defence industry officials. (Emirates News Agency)
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About Carrington Malin — www.carringtonmalin.com
Carrington Malin is a UAE-based entrepreneur, marketer and writer who focuses on emerging technologies.