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King Salman’s Reign Consolidates AI’s Future in Saudi Arabia

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz inaugurated in 2018 the first phase of the projects of Waad Al-Shamal industrial City. SPA
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz inaugurated in 2018 the first phase of the projects of Waad Al-Shamal industrial City. SPA
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King Salman’s Reign Consolidates AI’s Future in Saudi Arabia

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz inaugurated in 2018 the first phase of the projects of Waad Al-Shamal industrial City. SPA
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz inaugurated in 2018 the first phase of the projects of Waad Al-Shamal industrial City. SPA

The past decade under the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz witnessed achievements in all aspects.

To accomplish political, economic, social, and technological achievements, King Salman’s rule witnessed the establishment of several entities focused on modern and advanced technologies. These include the founding of specialized technology companies and government entities to enhance Saudi Arabia's position in advanced technologies.

For example, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) was established in 2019. SDAIA contributed to the development of several advanced projects and platforms, as well as the development of Saudi personnel in the fields of data and artificial intelligence.

Additionally, during King Salman’s reign, the National Cybersecurity Authority was established in 2017, which strengthened the Kingdom's ranking in the global cybersecurity index, where it ranked 13th worldwide and 1st in the Arab world in 2019.

This is in addition to other specialized government entities concerned with research and development, such as the General Authority for Defense Development, the General Authority for Military Industries, and the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority.

Several companies were also founded during King Salman’s rule, specializing in future economic technologies. The Saudi electronics company Alat, fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, was established in Feb. 2014. This company specializes in the manufacturing and development of advanced electronics, such as semiconductors, smart devices, advanced industries, and the infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

The Kingdom has also organized several global conferences focused on modern technologies. In March 2024, the third edition of the LEAP conference was launched. It is the largest conference and exhibition dedicated to the future of technologies and their role in the prosperity of humanity. This followed the first edition held in 2022, and the second the year after.

Riyadh also hosted the third edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit last September, announcing several international partnerships and memorandums of understanding aimed at enhancing the future vision of this technology in the upcoming phase.

The summit discussed topics related to artificial intelligence, its applications, and its impact on society and the economy. It aimed to maximize the benefits of AI technologies and find solutions to current challenges across various sectors, such as smart cities, human capacity development, healthcare, transportation, energy, culture and heritage, the environment, and economic mobility.

Another example is when the Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that it would establish a General Directorate for Artificial Intelligence and Business Development to increase energy efficiency and reduce consumption.

Meanwhile, Aramco Digital revealed its collaboration with Groq - AI inference provider and creator of the Language Processing Unit (LPU) - to establish the world’s largest inferencing data center in the Kingdom.

The summit organized by SDAIA featured exceptional and interactive experiences, attracting more than 32,000 visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom. It also included the participation of AI experts, specialists, and leaders from around the world, who gathered to discuss the future of this technology and propose inspiring solutions for the advancement of humanity.

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Syria's Economy Reborn after Being Freed from Assad

Under Assad, Syria was under heavy economic sanctions and mired in seemingly endless crisis - AFP
Under Assad, Syria was under heavy economic sanctions and mired in seemingly endless crisis - AFP
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Syria's Economy Reborn after Being Freed from Assad

Under Assad, Syria was under heavy economic sanctions and mired in seemingly endless crisis - AFP
Under Assad, Syria was under heavy economic sanctions and mired in seemingly endless crisis - AFP

When Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria, merchants like Youssef Rajab kept much of their imported stock hidden for fear of arrest for breaking the law.

But after opposition factions toppled Assad in a lightning offensive last month, Rajab put previously banned foreign goods such as chocolate, biscuits and shampoo back on the shelf.

Such products are now openly on sale in Damascus, and foreign currency is once again traded without fear.
Under Assad, Syria was mired in corruption, under heavy economic sanctions, and in seemingly endless crisis.
Foreign currency was in carefully controlled supply, and engaging in its trade or in the sale of banned goods could have meant a stay in one of the country's notorious jails.

"A day after the regime fell, I brought out all the foreign merchandise I'd been hiding and put it for sale, without having to worry," Rajab told AFP.

"It was a strange feeling, but I was happy," added the 23-year-old, speaking beside shelves stacked with imported products.

Previously, the few imported goods that were available were smuggled in from Lebanon by traders who risked arrest, or were acquired by bribing officials as businessmen controlled imports to a country wracked by 13 years of civil war.

"It's true that now we have great freedom to engage in business, but it has also been chaotic," said Rajab.

On every street corner, makeshift money changers now tout for business from passers-by.

"It's a job that was done in secret before," said Amir Halimeh, sitting at a small table on which there were wads of Syrian pounds and US dollars.

"We used to refer to dollars as 'mint' or 'parsley' or something else green" to bypass surveillance, he added.

- Currency market 'freed' -

Assad's government kept a firm grip on foreign currency dealings as a way to control the economy, and any freelance operators faced punishment of seven years in prison and a heavy fine.

"The market has now been completely freed... as has the exchange rate," the moneychanger said.

The pound lost about 90 percent of its value against the US dollar in 2011, the year Syria descended into civil war after a brutal crackdown on democracy protests.

Now it is being traded at between 11,000 and 12,000 to the greenback.

Before Damascus fell to the coalition led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, the black market rate soared to 30,000 pounds for one dollar.

"The economy in the future Syria will be free and competitive," the interim government's Economy Minister Bassel Abdel Hanan told reporters.

He said the new authorities would implement "policies aimed at protecting domestic output, supporting the industrial sector and protecting agriculture".

They have yet to elaborate on their future economic plans during the three-month interim phase that began in December.

Economics professor Adnan Suleiman of Damascus University said that "the economic model that existed before the fall of the regime... was a market economy", but a "distorted" one.

- Sanctions -

"Supply and demand were not free. Instead of competition there was a monopoly," he said of people close to Assad who controlled different sectors of the economy.

In an effort to turn the page, the interim government has been lobbying for international sanctions to be lifted.

Earlier this month, the US Treasury Department announced it was providing additional sanctions relief on some activities for the next six months to ease access to basic services, including fuel and humanitarian aid.

Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria's top diplomat, told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday: "Removing economic sanctions is the key for the stability of Syria."

They had been imposed for the benefit of Syrians, but are now "against the Syrian people", he said.

"We inherited a collapsed state from the Assad regime, there is no economic system," Shaibani said, adding that "the economy in the future will be open".

Under Assad, fuel sales were a monopoly and were severely limited.

But now vendors openly sell cans of petrol and fuel oil on the streets of the capital -- where new models of car have also made an appearance.

Previously, the import of vehicles was tightly regulated.

Syria's war took a terrible toll not only on the people, but also on its infrastructure.

Damage to power plants and pipelines has caused power cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day.

"The former regime left a huge legacy," said Suleiman.

"The greatest task facing future governments is to finance development and reconstruction."