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Saudi Arabia to Establish World's First ‘Sustainability Center’ Using AI

The head of the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence during the announcement of the launch of the principles of ethics for AI on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence during the announcement of the launch of the principles of ethics for AI on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
    Riyadh - Mohammed Halal
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Saudi Arabia to Establish World's First ‘Sustainability Center’ Using AI

The head of the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence during the announcement of the launch of the principles of ethics for AI on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence during the announcement of the launch of the principles of ethics for AI on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Mansour bin Hilal Al-Mushaiti revealed that Google has reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia to help implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) sustainable solutions and cutting-edge technologies in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA), in partnership with the global business, has established AI programs and initiatives for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

The agreement with Google covers three programs and 11 initiatives, according to Al-Mushaiti.

Al-Mushaiti stressed the importance of finding innovative solutions to help take advantage of the potential of untapped resources across the Kingdom.

This will support the implementation of the digital transformation strategy, environmental initiatives, and the ministry’s strategy to leverage AI in all sectors, including services and initiatives to achieve sustainable development goals in Saudi Arabia.

During the Global AI Summit in Riyadh, Al-Mushaiti touched upon the importance of AI in accelerating progress in a proactive manner to apply emerging and modern technologies, which in turn will enable the achievement of strategic goals that align with the national transformation plan, “Kingdom Vision 2030.”

“Artificial Intelligence will aid in accelerating multi-progress and achieving sustainability goals aligned with Vision 2030,” Al-Mushaiti said.

AI is also expected to contribute to the transformation into a digital society, economy, and nation.

“It is necessary to implement original solutions that will enable us to depart from the old legacy and implement state-of-the-art technologies and deploy artificial intelligence when, where, and how needed,” he added.

In other news, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, President of the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) Dr. Abdullah Bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, and CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City Fahd Bin Abdulmohsen Al-Rasheed inaugurated Wednesday the “Smartathon -The Smart Cities Challenge.”

The challenge aims to develop emerging solutions to improve the urban landscape in the cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to come up with technical solutions that contribute to detecting and reducing visual distortions, and benefiting from the Saudi and international experiences to find solutions using data and artificial intelligence.

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World Food Price Index Eases in Dec, Pushed Lower by Sugar

A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
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World Food Price Index Eases in Dec, Pushed Lower by Sugar

A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

The United Nations' world food price index dipped in December against November levels, led lower by a drop in international sugar quotations, but still showed a robust gain year-on-year, data showed on Friday.
The index, compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to track the most globally traded food commodities, fell to 127.0 points last month from a slightly revised 127.6 in November.
The November figure was previously put at 127.5, Reuters reported.
The December value was up 6.7% from 12 months previously, yet remained 20.7% below the all-time high reached in March 2022, FAO said.
For 2024 as a whole, the index averaged 122.0, 2.1% lower than the 2023 value, offsetting significant decreases in quotations for cereals and sugar with smaller increases in prices for vegetable oils, dairy and meats.
Sugar prices led December's monthly decline, dropping 5.1% month-on-month thanks to improving sugarcane crop prospects in the main producing countries to stand 10.6% below its December 2023 level.
Dairy prices declined after seven consecutive months of increases, losing 0.7% from November but still posting a 17.0% gain year-on-year. Vegetable oil prices dropped 0.5% month-on-month, but were up 33.5% on their year-earlier level.
Meat prices rose 0.4% in December from November and stood 7.1% above their December 2023 value.
The FAO cereal price index was little changed last month from November and was 9.3% below its year-earlier level, as a slightly uptick in maize quotations offset a drop in those for wheat, FAO said.
FAO did not provide a new forecast for global cereal production, with the next estimate due next month.