Saudi Communications Minister: Investing in Technology, Science Our Way towards Zero Emissions

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha speaks at the forum. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha speaks at the forum. (SPA)
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Saudi Communications Minister: Investing in Technology, Science Our Way towards Zero Emissions

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha speaks at the forum. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha speaks at the forum. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Space Commission, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha stressed that the Kingdom, as one of the G20 Member States and a major source of energy in the world, is taking the lead in building a center for climate technologies in the Middle East and North Africa.

Al-Swaha made his remarks on Saturday during his participation in a panel discussion, "How will the green economy change the world in the future", as part the Saudi Green Initiative forum.

He said that the world must rally around supporting science and technology if it wanted to address climate change.

“If the world continues to follow the current policies and technologies, our zero-emissions efficiency will be 30-40% lower, and the only way to address the zero-emissions gap is to increase investment in new, widespread technologies,” he urged.

Moreover, Al-Swaha highlighted how drones can plant trees ten times faster than traditional methods and at a lower cost 20% of the cost of manual farming.

He also underscored the most important lessons learned in the early stages of using technology in the climate field, using artificial intelligence and drones to support and accelerate reforestation, and the extent of the success of such technologies in all regions of the world.

The minister underlined the ways of success of afforestation projects and how trees can best be used to combat climate change, citing the importance of international cooperation that can ensure a rapid, comprehensive expansion of the cultivation of trees that are also planted specifically in low afforestation areas of the world in order to combat desertification.



Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
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Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The State Department is warning US diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.

The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.

“The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,” it said. “The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.”

It declined to comment further due to “security reasons” and the ongoing investigation.

One of the officials said the hoaxes had been unsuccessful and “not very sophisticated.” Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it “prudent” to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,” the cable said.

The FBI warned in a public service announcement this past spring of a “malicious text and voice messaging campaign” in which unidentified “malicious actors” have been impersonating senior US government officials.

The scheme, according to the FBI, has relied on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior US official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim’s associates and contacts.

It is the second high-level Trump administration official to face such AI-driven impersonation.

The government was investigating after elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures received messages from someone impersonating President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Text messages and phone calls went out from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles’ personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles, which may have been generated by artificial intelligence, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles’ number, the report said.