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Saudi Arabia, WEF Launch Innovation Accelerator, Explore Collaborations in Global Metaverse Village

The delegations at the signing ceremony in Davos (SPA)
The delegations at the signing ceremony in Davos (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, WEF Launch Innovation Accelerator, Explore Collaborations in Global Metaverse Village

The delegations at the signing ceremony in Davos (SPA)
The delegations at the signing ceremony in Davos (SPA)

A high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia participated in a multilateral meeting with the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) leadership at WEF’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Ambassador to the United States; Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources; and Faisal Fadhil Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning, met with Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF and Borge Brende, President of WEF, to explore areas of mutual interest. 

Alswaha, Chairman of the Board of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Chairman of the Board of The Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), and Brende signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to establish a new accelerator program to help ignite innovation in Saudi Arabia. 

Under the LoI, KACST will work alongside WEF to connect experts and knowledge partners from the public and private sectors to identify and unlock new promising markets as part of the ongoing work to transform Saudi economy. 

During the meeting, the delegates highlighted the Kingdom’s role as a Pioneering Partner in the Forum’s Global Collaboration Village, which will leverage the metaverse to serve the global community. 

Saudi Arabia intends to build a house in the village, opening a door to opportunities, investment, and collaboration between various national stakeholders and international entities. It will be used as a tool for attending events, interacting with people, sharing knowledge and making announcements. 

It was highlighted in the meeting that Saudi ARAMCO, as one of Saudi leading private sector entities, is the first company to build a house in the Global Collaboration Village. 

The meeting also covered investment in green technologies, as well as female and youth empowerment as a vital enabler in effective climate action. The meeting provided updates on the progress of projects launched at WEF’s 2022 Annual Meeting. 

In addition, delegates addressed the future of the mining industry in Saudi Arabia and its untapped opportunities, especially considering the increasing demand for minerals and the importance of leveraging the Fourth Industrial Revolution and green technologies. 

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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)
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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.