Saudi cabinet approves ICAIRE statute
Cabinet approves core constitution for UNESCO Category 2 centre
#SaudiArabia #ethics - Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has this week approved the statute of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE). The Cabinet originally approved ICAIRE’s establishment in July 2023, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) subsequently granted it Category 2 Center status in November the same year. The centre’s work spans AI research and development, AI ethics, policy and international cooperation.
SO WHAT? - Cabinet approval of ICAIRE’s statute is a procedural step, but it’s a step that finalises its legal, financial and administrative independence to operate. Saudi Arabia created the centre specifically to help shape the future of AI ethics and making the institution available to UNESCO to support its global AI initiatives. Unlike the Kingdom’s state-owned technology companies, ICAIRE is a different kind of soft power play, one aimed at shaping international AI governance standards and helping to position Saudi Arabia on the global stage.
KEY POINTS
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, approved the statute of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) this week, giving the Riyadh-based centre legal, financial and administrative independence.
Salman first approved ICAIRE’s establishment in July 2023, with UNESCO’s General Conference granting it Category 2 Center status in November 2023 during its 42nd session.
ICAIRE focuses on four foundational pillars:
Advancing AI research and development,
Promoting AI ethics awareness,
Strengthening AI education access in developing countries, and
Shaping AI policy recommendations.
PwC forecasts AI will contribute $135 billion to the Saudi economy by 2030, positioning the Kingdom as the biggest beneficiary of AI technology in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to adopt UNESCO’s AI ethics recommendations, adopted in November 2021, alongside the participation of 193 member states.
ICAIRE is one of more than 100 UNESCO Category 2 Centres worldwide. UNESCO uses the centres to promote international cooperation, research, policy advice and capacity building.
ICAIRE’s core activities are designed to contribute to eight of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (including Goals 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 17) and seven out of UNESCO’s nine programme outcomes.
The centre advances two UNESCO priority pathways: the Elevate Program, which builds women’s AI skills globally, and support for Arabic-speaking North African countries developing Arabic-language AI technologies.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: SPA, ICAIRE, various