Riyadh: A Global Destination for AI Events

During the announcement of Artathon winners at the AI Global Summit (SPA)
During the announcement of Artathon winners at the AI Global Summit (SPA)
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Riyadh: A Global Destination for AI Events

During the announcement of Artathon winners at the AI Global Summit (SPA)
During the announcement of Artathon winners at the AI Global Summit (SPA)

The first global artificial intelligence (AI) summit, held under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, concluded Thursday, with the aim of creating a global destination for AI activities in Riyadh.

The summit called for an international framework to support international cooperation in the field of data technology and artificial intelligence.

The two-day summit held under the slogan: "AI for the Good of Humanity,” was organized by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

It included 30 sessions, with nearly 60 speakers, including ministers, leaders of global entities, academics, investors, and entrepreneurs from 20 countries.

President of SDAIA, Abdullah al-Ghamdi, delivered a speech on behalf of Prince Mohammed, in which he described 2020 as an exceptional year to test the potential of AI at a time when a new global status is being formed, redefining lifestyles, business, and learning.

The summit aimed to adopt Riyadh as a global destination for AI activities, where the summit will be held annually to discuss the reality, future, and issues of AI and shed light on the latest research and technologies in this field.

The summit discussed the role of AI in life and the future, and means of transition to the new era characterized by rapid change.


The AI Summit is held within the framework of the Kingdom’s endeavor to achieve its aspirations for global leadership through data and AI-based economy.

It also asserts the importance of international cooperation in order to use AI for the good of humanity, highlighting SDAIA's role in the strategic leadership of the alternative economy, in cooperation with many relevant authorities to achieve Vision 2030.

On the first day of the summit, Saudi Arabia launched the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence (NSDAI) with a vision to make the best of data and AI a tangible reality.

The strategy aims to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of data and AI at the national and global levels.

Saudi Arabia signed three memorandums of understanding (MoU) with IBM, Alibaba, and Huawei at a summit in the kingdom.

The Kingdom also signed an MoU with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop a global framework that supports international cooperation in the AI field.

Saudi Arabia, represented by SDAIA, worked with the World Bank on a joint initiative, as part of the Kingdom's endeavor to enhance, develop, and accelerate AI technologies and digital economy in developing countries.

In addition, it hosted an advisory session in cooperation with the UN, to establish a body on global cooperation to address issues around integration, coordination, and building capabilities.

At the end of the summit, winners of the NEOM and Artathon challenges were announced and received prizes worth over $266,000. The awards were delivered by Minister of Education, Hamad bin Mohammed Al al-Sheikh, and NEOM CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr.



Trump Announces 30% Tariffs Against EU, Mexico to begin August 1

President Donald J. Trump speaks at a roundtable discussion at the Community Emergency Operations Center in Kerrville, Texas, Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
President Donald J. Trump speaks at a roundtable discussion at the Community Emergency Operations Center in Kerrville, Texas, Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
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Trump Announces 30% Tariffs Against EU, Mexico to begin August 1

President Donald J. Trump speaks at a roundtable discussion at the Community Emergency Operations Center in Kerrville, Texas, Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
President Donald J. Trump speaks at a roundtable discussion at the Community Emergency Operations Center in Kerrville, Texas, Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he's levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico.

Trump announced the tariffs on two of the United States' biggest trade partners in letters posted to his social media account.

In his letter to Mexico's leader, Trump acknowledged that the country has been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he said the country has not done enough to stop North America from turning into a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.”

“Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,” Trump added, The AP news reported.

Trump in his letter to the European Union said that the US trade deficit was a national security threat.

“We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter to the EU. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”

Trump is in the midst of an announcement blitz of new tariffs with allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a US economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades.

With the reciprocal tariffs, Trump is effectively blowing up the rules governing world trade. For decades, the United States and most other countries abided by tariff rates set through a series of complex negotiations known as the Uruguay round. Countries could set their own tariffs – but under the “most favored nation’’ approach, they couldn’t charge one country more than they charged another.

With Saturday's letters, Trump has now issued tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union.

The European Union’s chief trade negotiator said earlier this week that a trade deal to avert higher tariffs on European goods imported to the US could be reached “even in the coming days.” Maroš Šefčovič told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday that the EU had been spared the increased tariffs contained in the letters Trump sent on Monday, and that an extension of talks would provide “additional space to reach a satisfactory conclusion.”

The bloc collectively sells more to the US than any other country. US goods imports from the EU topped $553 billion in 2022, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

Trump on April 2 proposed a 20% tariff for EU goods and then threatened to raise that to 50% after negotiations did not move as fast as he would have liked. Sefcovic did not mention any tariff figures.

The higher tariffs as well as any EU retaliation had been suspended as the two sides negotiate. However the base rate of 10% for most trade partners as well as higher rates of 25% on autos and 50% on steel and aluminum had gone into effect.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director and president of the center-right American Action Forum, said the letters were evidence that serious trade talks were not taking place over the past three months. He stressed that nations were instead talking amongst themselves about how to minimize their own exposure to the US economy and Trump.

“They’re spending time talking to each other about what the future is going to look like, and we’re left out,” Holtz-Eakin said.

He added that Trump was using the letters to demand attention, but, “In the end, these are letters to other countries about taxes he’s going to levy on his citizens.”