Al-Ghamdi to Asharq Al-Awsat: SDAIA Adopts 3 Pillars for Building AI Capabilities

Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor of the capacity-building sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the GAIN Summit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor of the capacity-building sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the GAIN Summit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Al-Ghamdi to Asharq Al-Awsat: SDAIA Adopts 3 Pillars for Building AI Capabilities

Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor of the capacity-building sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the GAIN Summit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor of the capacity-building sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the GAIN Summit. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor of the capacity-building sector at the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), said the Authority is building its capabilities on three main pillars: inspiration, development, and sustainability.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the third edition of the Global AI Summit (GAIN) in Riyadh on Tuesday, Al-Ghamdi revealed that SDAIA has achieved notable results, reaching nearly 600,000 beneficiaries through its AI awareness and inspiration activities.

He stated that the Authority is focused on developing capabilities that can create AI applications and technologies, having empowered around 7,000 specialists and experts in this field to date.

Al-Ghamdi also announced that SDAIA is forming partnerships with major AI companies to enhance capacity building, particularly at the national level. He explained that the Authority will establish partnerships with Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, and several national organizations, stressing that these efforts will significantly contribute to strengthening AI capacity building.

He added that SDAIA is working to raise AI awareness by promoting its proper use and ethics.

The summit brings AI leaders, thinkers, and inventors to Riyadh to discuss key issues in the field and to develop future visions and solutions for the benefit of humanity, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s role as a leader in technology and artificial intelligence, he remarked.

The presence of these elite leaders from major tech companies, academic institutions, and universities in Riyadh will shape future directions for AI in tackling important and critical issues, he stressed.

Among these issues, he noted AI governance, avoiding bias, ethics, and strengthening capacity building in the field, while ensuring learning opportunities for all.

AI is a revolutionary, transformative technology that will reshape the global landscape, impacting daily life, tasks, and business operations, stressed Al-Ghamdi.



Egypt Inflation Unexpectedly Quickens to 26.2% in August

An aerial view shows a motorway in Egypt's capital Cairo on September 9, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
An aerial view shows a motorway in Egypt's capital Cairo on September 9, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Egypt Inflation Unexpectedly Quickens to 26.2% in August

An aerial view shows a motorway in Egypt's capital Cairo on September 9, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
An aerial view shows a motorway in Egypt's capital Cairo on September 9, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Egypt's annual urban consumer price inflation rate unexpectedly accelerated to 26.2% in August from 25.7% in July, data from statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Tuesday.
Month-on-month, prices jumped by 2.1%, speeding up from a 0.4% rise in July. Food prices climbed by 1.8% in August after having eased by 0.3% in July and were 29.0% higher than a year ago.
A poll of 19 analysts had expected August urban inflation to ease to a median of 25.1%.
Sara Saada of CI Capital was one of the few analysts who had predicted inflation would accelerate.
"We expected this, as the August reading reflects energy price hikes that were announced in the last week of July. This included diesel, that has a broad-based effect," she said, speaking to Reuters after the figure was announced.
Prices rose over the last month due to higher summer produce prices, fuel hikes of 10-15% near the end of July, a 25-33% jump in metro tickets at the beginning of August and a 21-31% increase in electricity tariffs, partly in August.
Inflation had been declining gradually from September's record high of 38.0%, turning the central bank's real overnight borrowing rate, at 27.25%, positive in July for the first time since January 2022.