FII7 Highlights Importance of AI

The seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday. (FII)
The seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday. (FII)
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FII7 Highlights Importance of AI

The seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday. (FII)
The seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday. (FII)

The seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday under the theme “The New Compass,” focusing on Artificial Intelligence on its first day.

The conference presented a comprehensive overview of AI reality and several recommendations and solutions to ensure its safe and responsible use.

One of the conference’s sessions discussed the rapidly evolving AI models and how they shape the global economy, enabling small teams to develop science and technology and advance humanity.

The developments are driven by rapid advances in computing power, exponential growth in the volume of labeled data, significant reductions in training costs, increased capital directed toward developing AI, and democratized access to its advanced models.

Artificial intelligence faces short and medium-term global challenges, including the use of AI for disinformation, cyber-attacks and biological weapons.

However, the impact of AI challenges and the level of preparedness to confront them remains the major challenge, as world leaders must be ready to act within the framework of appropriate governance and policies.

The session presented recommendations to governments and the private and investment sectors:

- Boosting AI alignment: all AI companies must document and disclose how they are committed to implementing AI alignment, developing a set of basic requirements for releasing AI models, and supporting the development of early warning systems.

AI developers must conduct comprehensive model assessments before release, make the assessment results publicly available, and increase funding for top-level AI alignment research.

- Establish a unified and inclusive governance regime for AI: global challenges associated with AI can only be addressed through a global approach, including appropriate representation of emerging markets.

- Prepare for the transition: active investment in skills development and social safety net to ensure a just transition for workers displaced by AI.

Recommendations for the private sector and investment sector:

- Promote transparency and accountability: ensuring a greater commitment, transparency, and accountability to AI alignment by establishing plans detailing the strategies and processes that will be implemented to deliver it.

- Reducing artificial intelligence challenges: governments should cooperate to develop sufficient global response capacity, adopt a safety-based approach to developing AI, and ensure the security of its modern facilities and systems.

The initiative seeks to become a leading global platform through its commitment to working on solutions that everyone can adopt, building a shared understanding of this technology, and investing to increase global response capacity.

FII will establish an AI Coalition, bringing together investors, corporations, government leaders, and academics from developed and emerging markets to engage in a frank and candid dialogue on the critical issue of AI alignment.



Saudi Arabia, US Unveil Plans to Deepen Economic and Strategic Ties

Saudi Investment Minister addresses audience in opening remarks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister addresses audience in opening remarks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, US Unveil Plans to Deepen Economic and Strategic Ties

Saudi Investment Minister addresses audience in opening remarks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister addresses audience in opening remarks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum 2025 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia and the United States announced efforts to strengthen economic relations and expand their growing strategic alliance through private-sector-led partnerships targeting key industries including energy, artificial intelligence, defense, tourism and advanced technologies.

The announcement was made during the Saudi-US Investment Forum, which was held on Tuesday in Riyadh.

The event drew senior ministers and officials from both sides, along with top executives from leading corporations and financial institutions in the two countries.

The forum coincided with the visit of US President Donald Trump to the Kingdom, where he was received by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia plans to boost investment ties with the US by up to $600 billion over the next four years, spanning public and private sector deals across key industries such as defense, semiconductors, transportation, space exploration and advanced technologies.

The Kingdom’s private sector is expected to play a central role in driving these investments.

Washington views Riyadh as a key partner in maintaining global oil market stability and supply reliability, with Saudi Arabia being one of the world’s largest crude exporters. The two countries are also working toward a landmark agreement on peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, alongside potential deals in energy, mining, and energy infrastructure.

US officials have expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and implement sweeping social changes.

Washington also welcomed Riyadh’s efforts to increase women’s participation in the workforce and promote interfaith dialogue.

Saudi Arabia is among the United States’ largest trading partners in the region, with bilateral trade reaching $32 billion in 2024. Saudi exports to the US stood at $13 billion, while imports from the US totaled $19 billion.

US foreign direct investment in the Kingdom reached $15.3 billion last year.

American investors are increasingly drawn to Saudi Arabia’s sweeping transformation, which is unlocking new opportunities in commercial space exploration, renewable energy, healthcare, infrastructure, advanced technology and artificial intelligence.

Vision 2030 initiatives and mega-projects are also opening doors for US firms in strategic sectors such as mining, petrochemicals, manufacturing, renewable energy, tourism, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

In his opening remarks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said Vision 2030 had opened “unprecedented horizons” for investment, renewing his country’s commitment to a strategic partnership with the United States that spans more than 90 years.

“We are living a historic moment in which we reaffirm a strategic partnership built on trust, mutual respect and shared interests,” he said.

Falih pointed to the Kingdom’s stable economic policies, low debt levels, strong financial reserves and stable inflation as key pillars of its investment appeal. He also noted that Saudi Arabia hosts one of the world’s fastest-growing financial markets.

“We are not merely seeking capital inflows. We are building strategic partnerships that transfer knowledge, localize technology and develop homegrown industries,” Falih said, highlighting opportunities in renewables, advanced manufacturing, biotech, tourism, logistics and supply chain development.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, speaking in a joint panel with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, described the scale of the Kingdom’s economic transformation in recent years as “unprecedented.”

“What we’ve achieved in record time is a structural transformation,” he said, noting that the share of private investment in GDP rose from under 16% to more than 23%, a significant jump for any emerging economy.

Bessent underscored the strength of economic ties between Washington and Riyadh, describing the relationship as “historic and robust,” and highlighting its importance to US policy.

He also noted that his first official engagement in office was with his Saudi counterpart, a clear indication of how high this relationship ranks on Washington’s agenda.

He added that the Trump administration is working to position the US as the world’s leading investment destination by focusing on three pillars: trade liberalization, tax reduction, and deregulation.

Bessent reaffirmed that the US views Saudi Arabia as a key economic partner in the region and a promising platform for investment and collaboration across multiple sectors.